The 2025 harness racing season at Kawartha Downs begins this weekend with a dozen races carded for opening night on Saturday, May 17.
The Fraserville, Ont. racetrack's 18-day meet will consist of live racing on most Saturdays through Sept. 20, with the exception of June 21. Post time will be 6 p.m. each night.
The season's top events will include Ontario Sires Stakes with multiple Grassroots and Prospect Series legs scheduled at the five-eighths-mile oval, including on opening night, as well as July 26, Aug. 16, Aug. 23 on Sept. 13.
This Saturday's season opener will feature the first leg of the Prospect Series for three-year-old trotters, with a pair of $8,000 divisions for the fillies and two for the colts and geldings.
The Prospect filly contenders include High Stakes Stable's Royal Sauce, the 3-2 morning line favourite in the opening division, with Hall of Famer Doug Brown picking up the catch-drive for trainer Gregg McNair. The daughter of Muscle Mass-Royal Rhythm was a Grassroots winner as a rookie and enters the Prospect Series following four starts over Woodbine Mohawk Park.
Stmikes Kerryblues, another Grassroots winner during his freshman campaign, will make his Kawartha debut in the final Prospect division of the night for the colts and geldings. The Green Manalishi S-Wilsonator gelding started his sophomore season with three starts at Mohawk and is the 3-2 favourite on the morning line with Kawartha's 2024 leading driver Samuel Fillion set to steer for trainer Kyle Fellows and owners Yolanda Fellows, Edward Wilson, Steve McGill and Patrick Dillon.
Programs and live streaming of the races are available online via the track's website at kawarthadowns.com.
To view Saturday's harness racing entries, click the following link: Saturday Entries - Kawartha Downs // Program Pages (courtesy TrackIT).
To view the complete 2025 race date calendar, click here.
(Standardbred Canada)