40 race dates back on track at Fort Erie
On the surface, Fort Erie Race Track’s 2020 schedule looks similar to ’19.
For the track’s 123rd season, there will once again be 40 dates for live racing beginning Tuesday, May 26, with race cards taking place two days a week through to Tuesday, Oct. 13
But, come September, there will be some changes to the schedule. For the final five weeks of the season, races will go Mondays and Tuesdays at 1:20 p.m., instead of the track’s usual Sunday (1:20 p.m.) and Tuesday (4:20 p.m.) schedule. “We made the move to Mondays because Woodbine does not run on Mondays,” Antonietta Culic, the track’s manager of marketing and media relations, said. “It will be easier for horse people who run at both tracks, and will also help with limited race-day resources, such as jockeys and valets who work at both locations.
It is hoped the move will improve the bottom line, as well.
“There is also less competition in the simulcast market on a Monday compared to a Sunday, which will help increase our offtrack wagering,” she said.
Fort Erie has been introducing events over the past couple of years to increase attendance, including wiener dog races, for Dachshunds, and last year a second dog race featuring basset hounds.
Both canine events will be back in 2020 with dates to be announced at a later date.
The track’s signature race — the Prince of Wales Stakes, the second leg in Canadian thoroughbred racing’s Triple Crown, will be run on July 21. Last year’s Prince of Wales Stakes was won by Tone Broke, with jockey Ricardo Santana Jr. aboard in his first-ever start at Fort Erie.
The 2019 season was a good one for the track. By the time Majestic Heist became the final horse to cross the finish line on Oct. 15, the track experienced an increase in wagering both onand off-track. Overall, $29,970,000 was wagered in 2019, a 7 per cent increase over ’18’s total of $28,061,500.
A full schedule of race dates can be found by visiting www.forterieracing.com.