Century Downs welcomed live harness racing back to the Calgary area earlier this year, and now the track has introduced a different type of Standardbred racing to the province of Alberta for the first time ever.

The Balzac racetrack played host to a pair of Racing Under Saddle (RUS) dashes – also known as Monte races – this past weekend.

Century’s Saturday and Sunday programs of live racing each featured a single RUS race. The races were non-wagering events and neither of them featured purses.

The weekend marked the first time that RUS racing has taken place in the province of Alberta. Retired pacers lined up for both events, and each of the races started at the fair-start pole along the Century backstretch.

Saturday’s RUS race was won by the 16-year-old Witsend Fiddle gelding Melanies Gunner. Rider Kim Schneider was up on the bay and the duo hit the wire first in :45.3. The replay of the race appears below.

Sunday’s Monte dash was clocked one second faster, as the five-year-old gelding Attitude Adjuster nailed the wire in :44.3 for rider Jaline Munkholm. The replay of the race appears below.