Track improvements
Track, fence to be improved at Northside Downs
Improvements will be made at Northside Downs this spring.
Blair MacKenzie loves taking his children to harness racing at Northside Downs on Saturday afternoons.
MacKenzie, who now lives in Sydney Mines, grew up around horses in Port Morien.
“I have a young family and for them it’s a great day out,” said MacKenzie, who took over as president of the Cape Breton Horsemen’s Association in January.
“Our big focus is to try and get more young families coming to the track. It would be great as well to see more of our young people take an interest in harness racing.”
Leroy Musgrave of North Sydney started going to the races in Sydney when he was 15 years of age and now he is a regular at Northside Downs.
“I never owned a horse, but I love the sport,” said Musgrave, who is a retired North Sydney Mall maintenance worker. “You get to meet all kinds and all ages.”
Musgrave said it’s an exciting afternoon because every race is different.
“It seems there are more young people getting into the sport,” Musgrave said. “I’m glad to see the track here in North Sydney, it’s great for the community.”
For MacKenzie, who works as a financial adviser, horses are a hobby.
“Even though it’s a hobby, it does take a lot of time but I really enjoy being around people and horses,” he said. “We are part of the community here in North Sydney and we really want folks to get involved. A day at the horse races is free and we always have food on hand.”
MacKenzie said when the horses come off the turn and are heading for home, everybody’s hollering and cheering.
“A day at the races is a good day most times. There are always owners and trainers around the barns that don’t mind if people come around to pet the horses or ask questions.”
Racing may end in November, but training continues through the winter. The track takes a beating and each year it has to be resurfaced.
The association is holding an auction/dance on April 1 and is hoping to fundraise between $6,000 and $10,000 to resurface the track and rebuild the fence on the backstretch of the track.
“Harness racing starts up
“Our big focus is to try and get more young families coming to the track. It would be great as well to see more of our young people take an interest in harness racing.”
Blair MacKenzie, president, Cape Breton Horsemen’s Association
again on May 13 and we’ll go right through to Nov. 18, so there is a lot of preparation to get us to where we have to be before the season gets underway,” MacKenzie said.
At present the association, which has about 200 members, has one full-time employee and five part-time employees.
There are close to 50 people employed at Northside Downs once harness racing gets
underway in the spring.
There is live simulcast racing seven days a week at Little Las Vegas Winner Circle Lounge, Welton Street in Sydney.
“The simulcast racing is what creates our purse pool. It’s our lifeblood,” MacKenzie said. “People can attend and bet, it’s exciting racing from Ontario and the States.”