Fraser Downs upbeat about September restart
The horses are still running at
Fraser Downs.
A race hasn’t taken place at the venerable horse track in Cloverdale since March, but owners, trainers, jockeys, bettors and fans are upbeat, Harness Racing B.C. (HRBC) president Randy Rutledge says.
“Our plan is to start on time on Sept. 17,” he said last week over the phone from his farm as he prepared for the HRBC annual general meeting.
Horses are still working out at the track every day, keeping ready for when racing returns in the fall.
“Of course we don’t know, you never know with this (COVID-19) virus, but the way everything is looking, we’re feeling good,” he said. “But we’re still three months away.”
Normally about 200-250 horses are in action during the race meet season, which runs from mid-September to late April. Many come from outside the province and use stables at nearby farms.
The last night of racing at Fraser Downs was March 13. They were scheduled to run through the end of April, but when Great Canadian Gaming, which operates the race track and its neighbouring Element Casino, decided to suspend operations March 15, the 2019-20 racing meet came to an end. A dozen races ended up being cancelled.
“It definitely hurt everyone,” Rutledge said. “Basically everybody was out of work.”
But everyone understood the seriousness of the situation, he said. Whenever they launch the meet, they’ll be following all the mandated public health guidelines.
There will likely be a few horses that normally would make the trek to B.C. for the winter not around for the 2020-21 meet, he said.