When the 2023 season gets underway next month, Northside Downs will mark the 125th anniversary of harness racing at the North Sydney, N.S. property, now under Harness Racing Cape Breton ownership.
Harness Racing Cape Breton, which previously leased the Northside Downs racetrack portion of the Cape Breton Exhibition property from the Cape Breton-Richmond Federation of Agriculture, recently closed a deal to purchase the grounds that were put up for sale last year.
"After 11 months of negotiations, property subdivision and jumping through hoops, Harness Racing Cape Breton officially now owns the Northside Downs racetrack property. The deal closed in early March," Joel LeBlanc, Chairperson of Harness Racing Cape Breton, told Trot Insider. "It is a major step forward for our horse owners association as we now control the property. We have a very committed non-profit membership and we look forward to making Northside Downs a destination in Nova Scotia."
The property has long been a cornerstone for the agricultural community in Cape Breton and the Canadian harness racing industry. In recent years, brothers David and Colin Kelly launched their driving careers at Northside Downs while 2020 Horse of the Year Century Farroh and other stars including Bronx Seelster and R Caan learned early lessons and had their first charted lines at the North Sydney oval.
"This year will mark the 125th anniversary of the first harness races at this site -- July 1, 1898 was the beginning at Northside Downs," noted LeBlanc. "We will be celebrating this milestone on Canada Day of 2023."
Opening day for the 2023 harness racing season at Northside Downs is May 13, with racing continuing on Saturday afternoons through November.
To view Northside Downs' complete racing schedule for the 2023 harness racing season, click here.