The third season of Standardbred racing at Century Downs Racetrack and Casino came to an end on September 9, 2017 and showed gains in handle. All sources handle for the 71 days that began March 18, 2017 was up 12 per cent over the first 71 days of 2016 (please note that 96 days of Standardbred racing occurred in 2016).
“The move to Monday racing versus Friday in the prior two years proved to be a successful experiment,” noted general manager Paul Ryneveld. “Not only were Mondays handling better than the Fridays last year, but many sites chose to take us on Saturday and Sunday as a result of taking us on Monday. Hence, we saw handle growth on all days we raced.”
The track’s 2017 season marked the inaugural Calgary Racing Festival, which took place from August 6 – August 12. The successful week was capped off by the first leg of the World Driving Championship, which saw a record handle of $203,000. The largest crowd of the meet was once again witnessed during the third edition of ‘Packwood Grand’ on July 29.
The Alberta Standardbred Horse Association (ASHA) was exceptionally happy with the meet, noting that two of their marquee races, the Ralph Klein Memorial and the Lady Luck, each surpassed $125,000, with projected further growth for the future. Both races are part of the ‘Mid-Summer Classic’ card, which produced the second highest handle of the meet.
The 2018 Standardbred dates are still in the works, but Century Downs is currently working towards the inaugural Thoroughbred and Quarter Horse meet, which will begin on September 23 and run through November 5, 2017. Racing Saturday and Sunday at 12:50 p.m., two more days have been added on Mondays (October 2 and 9) at 3:10 p.m.
(Century Downs Racetrack and Casino)