Century Downs Race Secretary Jackson Wittup has taken some time to speak with the Rocky View Weekly in advance of the track’s upcoming 2018 meet of live Standardbred racing, which is scheduled to kick off on Easter Sunday (April 1).
According to the article, Wittup has said that the Century meet was specifically set to kick off on Easter Sunday, which also happens to be the three-year anniversary of the opening of the Calgary-area track.
Wittup also states that the raceway got a little more exposure this past fall when it held a Thoroughbred meet. “We certainly wetted a few appetites last year with the Thoroughbreds here in the fall,” Wittup said, adding, “We pulled (the Thoroughbred season) off and got a lot more people and knowledge that Century Downs exists, so that was exciting.”
After Easter Sunday, Century Downs is scheduled to host programs of live Standardbred racing on Saturdays and Sundays until the end of August. The track is scheduled to also add live cards of Mondays, effective May 5.
In his discussion with the Rocky View Weekly, Wittup stated that he hopes Calgary’s long, snowy winter – mainly the ice – hasn’t affected the training schedules of the Standardbred horse population too much. “Hopefully that doesn’t get us off to a bad start,” Wittup said. “By the next week, hopefully we’ll have a few more horses prepared.”
Century Downs sent out a reminder to horsepeople yesterday stating that the track will hold its first qualifying session of the season this Saturday (March 24) and that the condition sheet for the Easter Sunday opener is already online. To view the condition sheet, click here.
In the discussion, Wittup also stated that the Century Downs Racing Club will return in 2018. The fractional ownership endeavour allows anyone interested to become involved in racehorse ownership for a small fee.
The beauty of the club, according to Wittup, is that, “You buy in, pay $250 and never get a training, shoeing or vet bill, but you find out what it’s like to be in the game.”
For more information of the club, call 587-359-7777 and speak with customer service representatives at Century Downs.
(With files from Rocky View Weekly)