Horse Racing Alberta has approved ten dates of fall racing for The Track on 2, formerly known as Alberta Downs, located at Lacombe.
The dates are September 1, 2, 3, 8, 16 and 30, and then the four Sundays in October (7, 14, 21, 28).
“We needed to find a place to race between the time we finish at Century Downs on August 25 and when we can start racing at Northlands Park in Edmonton,” Alberta Standardbred Horse Association Executive Director Fred Gillis has said. “With Northlands racing Friday and Saturday evenings, we’re free to race on Sunday afternoons in Lacombe. It’s a reasonable commute and we think we’ll have enough horses to provide a good level of entertainment at both venues.”
The Track on 2 was purchased last summer by Red Deer businessmen Kurt Belich and Ross Morrison. They have poured dollars into a major renovation of the grandstand and have applied to the county planning department to add a number of new features to what they can offer to both the public and to the horsemen.
“We’ve got lots of work to do this summer, but we’ll be ready by Labour Day,” Belich has said. “We’re working on a bunch of things that will allow us to be a year-round entertainment facility for central Alberta.”
(Peter Watts / thehorses.com)