Kawartha Downs has announced that the last day of live racing at the five-eighths mile oval this year will be taking place Saturday, December 20. KD has also announced, in addition to important dates for horsepeople, that Santa Claus will be on-hand to greet the kids and pose for free pictures.
First race post time on Saturday, December 20 is 7:00 p.m.
Racing will then resume Tuesday, January 6, 2009 with a first race post time of 4:15 p.m. The box for that card will close on Friday, January 2 at 10:00 a.m.
Kawartha's Saturday race cards for the months of January and February will kick off with 1:00 p.m. first race posts. Also in January and February, KD will be running its qualifiers on Saturdays, but they will be taking place after live racing. First race post times for the qualifiers will be 4:05 p.m.
The KD race office will be closed from Saturday, December 21 to Saturday, December 28. The race office will re-open December 29, 30 and 31, but will be closed again on January 1.
KD Deems '08 a Success
The year 2008 marked a successful return to live racing on Saturdays at KD, which helped boost both attendance and pari-mutuel handle, although only slightly. Still KD continues to move in an upward direction, bucking the trend of most racetracks in the province.
Successful promotions such as Owner For a Night, PEI Island Getaway, family nights and giveaways all helped to bring in the many vacationers that visit our area all summer long.
For the sixth consecutive year, the duo of driver Gord Brown and trainer Mark Winacott will be crowned tops in both categories.
Santa and Promotions Galore on Saturday, December 20
On Saturday, December 20, Kawartha Downs will wrap up the 2008 racing season with the horses take a well deserved two-week break for the Christmas holidays.
To celebrate the season, racing fans are in for a treat, as there will be a turkey dinner in the main grandstand for only $10, free hot apple cider and candy canes, draw prizes and get your photo taken with Santa.
(With files from KD)