Ontario is set to welcome back live harness races as the province initiates its reopening plan ahead of schedule.
Ontario is set to reintroduce live harness racing this week, with the province’s roadmap to reopen plan launched earlier than expected. The first to resume activities will be the Woodbine Mohawk Park, with Woodbine Entertainment having announced the big news on 7 June.
The entire horseracing industry in Canada has experienced severe hardship over the past 15 months due to the restrictions imposed by authorities in response to the global pandemic. The live season in Ontario was shelved at the beginning of April but will now go ahead as planned due to the province’s successful vaccine rollout programme.
Resumption of Races
Woodbine Entertainment revealed that its Woodbine Mohawk Park would officially resume standardbred activities on 11 June, with 19h00 post times. Track races will now continue according to their usual five race days per week schedule. However, spectators are still not allowed at the venue.
Jim Lawson, CEO of Woodbine Entertainment, thanked the provincial authorities for their cooperation while the industry was going through tough times. Lawson also thanked premier Doug Ford for sympathy shown towards the horseracing industry, which was severely affected by the rolling lockdown restrictions. He also expressed gratitude towards horsepeople for their patience and professionalism during the last 15 months.
Action-Charged Qualifiers
Woodbine Entertainment has previously provided additional information on its May qualifiers. The oval recently saw a three-day session with 44 events and 377 horses taking part. The first session took place on 27 May, with 14 exciting qualifiers, followed by the rest of the qualifying segments on 28 and 29 May.
More Reopenings
Several other tracks in Ontario have also announced their resumption of operations. Clinton Raceway will commence its 2021 season on 13 June. Georgian Downs is also set to welcome back harness racing on 15 June. The schedule will remain similar to last season’s, with post times on Tuesdays and Saturdays at 19h15 and Sundays at 18h00.
Kawartha Downs has also sent out a notice about its restart. Races at the track will officially recommence on 12 June. Post time for the events is 16h00, with qualifiers taking place at 13h30. Similarly, Rideau Carleton is relaunching live races on 13 June, with the first post time of 18h30.
