After weighing several factors, we have come to the decision to pause the Century Horse Racing Club in 2021.
The racing club was established in 2016 at Century Downs with a few objectives in mind:
- add to the local horse population by bringing in new horses from other jurisdictions to race here in Alberta
- promote new regular fans with a more close-up experience and a feeling of “belonging” with their own horses to follow and cheer on
- generate interest in horse ownership
The ongoing travel and border issues surrounding COVID-19 have made it very costly and logistically near-impossible for us to source and procure new horses. While Alberta horse racing has fared extremely well in these extraordinary times, our members have not been able to enjoy all the advantages and joys of membership.
When we launched in 2016, we were the first ever harness racing club in Canada. Our early numbers were small but have grown every year and there are several members (both local and Canada-wide) who have been on this journey since Day 1. We added Thoroughbreds to the mix and both breeds gained new fans. Every single year, we received at least a portion of our money back! We met and grew to love quite a number of horses over the years. We want to specially thank the trainers and vets who often gave us special rates. The track photographers did the same.
Thank you to Century Casinos and Managing Director of Racing, Paul Ryneveld, for their ideas, their commitment to racing and the great financial support they have provided to give us this unique experience. And of course, thank you to all our members, past and present, for choosing to share our passion for horses and horse racing.
As mentioned, the future of Alberta racing is very bright with purse increases already announced for next season and further purse reviews to follow. If you are interested in taking the “next step” and looking for even a small percentage of a horse or two, please reach out to the contacts provided below.
Standardbred Racing:
Shelley Hastey [email protected]
Fred Gillis [email protected]
Thoroughbred Racing:
Julie Brewster [email protected]
Theresa Sealy [email protected]