The 2011 harness racing calendar for Alberta became more clear on Monday when Horse Racing Alberta and the Alberta Standardbred Horse Association agreed to eight live race dates in February at Northlands Park
.
"I think we will put on a strong product," ASHA manager Fred Gillis told northlandspark.ca, stating that an average of $50,000 in purses would be offered per card with a claiming series possibly being offered as well.
Starting February 4, Northlands will race on Friday nights and Saturday afternoons through to the end of the month. After that, no dates are set in stone. Standardbred racing was then set to shift to Alberta Downs starting in mid-March, but those dates are pending arbitration between Northlands and the Alberta HBPA. A notice on the HBPA website states that "Northlands and the HBPA currently are in discussions to resolve the issue of conducting thoroughbred racing during the month of October, 2011."
Proposed 2011 dates are available here in PDF format from the ASHA website. Please note that this PDF was created late in 2010 prior to the added February dates at Northlands.