Grand River Raceway’s 2017 live horse racing season will launch on Friday, June 2 with a splash of royal glitz and glamour.

The Elora, Ont. track will host harness racing’s only Drag Queen Race as part of tri-Pride celebrations which run May 23 – June 4 throughout Kitchener-Waterloo and Cambridge.

Retired racehorses and professional drivers will share double-seat jog carts with past winners of the Miss tri-Pride Pageant: Nadia Diamond, Victoria Parks, Jasmine Flowers and Rachael Temptation. The half-mile race will take place after the sixth horse race (approximately 8:00 p.m.).

The world’s first-ever Drag Queen (harness) Race was staged in 2011 at Grand River Raceway and was won by Madison Hart with driver James MacDonald and pacer Pompus MacDaddy. The event returned in 2012, but extreme weather forced cancellation of the races before the start of the night.

Other festivities on opening night will include a ticketed dinner in the Captain’s Quarters dining room and a Penny Auction in the main lobby. Dinner tickets are $40 and include: buffet, meal taxes and gratuity, race program, $10 slots voucher (19+), Pride flag, exclusive door prizes and five tickets for the Penny Auction.

Dinner tickets must be purchased in advance, and sales close May 26. Dinner tickets must be purchased online.

This is a sanctioned tri-Pride event; a portion of dinner ticket sales and 100 per cent of the Penny Auction sales will benefit the organization.

The season-opener will include 10 – 11 horse races which begin at 6:35 p.m. All Fun & Frivolity Friday Race Nights include a live trackside broadcast with 107.5 DAVE ROCKS, the free NEIGHbourhood program for kids, barn tour and extended Tarmac Show between the races.

Live harness racing is featured on most Monday, Wednesday and Friday nights from June 2 through September 27.

Other special racing events include the Media Race (June 23), Ren’s Pets Depot Wiener Dog Races (July 7) and the Industry Day horse racing celebration featuring the 20th annual Battle of Waterloo (August 7).

Complete event information and dinner tickets for Opening Night are available here.

(Grand River Raceway)