Live harness racing returns to British Columbia this weekend with the first ever fall meet at Desert Park Raceway in beautiful Osoyoos launching on Sunday, Sept. 27.

Many top B.C. stables and drivers -- including Jim Marino, Gord Abbott, Rod Therres, Rick Lancaster, Dave Hudon and Scott Knight -- will be back in action in their home province for the eight-race opening day program, with post time set for 2 p.m. (PT). Other prominent Western Canadian participants include Alberta's Brandon Campbell and Saskatchewan native Rebecca Kanak.

Sunday's card will feature a $15,000 Fillies & Mares Open Pace headlined by 6-5 morning line favourite Grey Sea for Abbott with his son John driving from the outside post five. A homebred for Seaspray Stables of Nanaimo, B.C., the grey mare by Custard The Dragon out of Preference heads to the newly rebuilt five-eighths-of-a-mile Osoyoos racetrack off three straight wins against Alberta's top distaffers and a six-week layoff. 

Fans attending to watch the action live are encouraged to bring their own chair to find a spot for trackside viewing as the grandstand is not open. On-site wagering is cash-only and there is currently no ATM on-site. Food and beverage options will be limited during the early season. Washrooms are available and located in the parking lot area. Capacity is limited and parking is available on a first-come, first-served basis.

"While our amenities are still being perfected, our track, horses and drivers are all ready for an exciting first season!" said a statement posted by Desert Park. "Our focus has always been to bring you great horse racing right here in beautiful British Columbia. There is still lots of work to be done to elevate your experience at Desert Park Raceway, but we are dedicated to bringing you the action where it truly matters: from wire to wire. We greatly appreciate your patience as we continue to perfect the [Desert Park Raceway] grounds and we can’t wait to bring you the exciting return of harness racing to B.C."

Live racing at the track, which scores seven wide with the eight as a trailer, will be streamed on Desert Park's Youtube channel @DesertParkRaceway.

The Desert Park meet will included 22 race dates running through Dec. 14. Racing will be held on Sundays and Mondays at 2 p.m. (PT), with the exception of Monday, Sept. 28 and Sunday, Oct. 25. 

The Harness Racing B.C. (HRBC) Board of Directors has approved the 2026 B.C Bred Stakes for the Osoyoos race meet. The B.C. Breeders' Classic Stakes for two-year-olds will include legs for colts and fillies on Nov. 22 and Nov. 29 and the three-year-old legs are scheduled for Nov. 29 and Dec. 6. The $100,000 finals will be held on Dec. 13. The B.C.-bred stakes for four-year-old males and mares will held on Oct. 18 with $30,000 events split by division. Starting fees are $500.

To view Sunday's harness racing entries, click the following link: Sunday Entries - Desert Park / Program Pages (courtesy TrackIT).

(Standardbred Canada)