April 27, 2017
2016/17 to date has been a time of real accomplishments for Harness Racing BC.
We’re in the midst of celebrating 250 Years of Horse Racing in Canada and we've celebrated 40 years of Harness Racing in the community of Cloverdale - what a milestone and we are looking forward to another 40 years!
The creation of the Fraser Downs Horse Racing Club has increased our fan and ownership base, and although it's had its ups and downs, many new friendships and fans of harness horse racing have been forged.
We now lay claim that one of our BC members won the Canadian National Driving Championship and will go on to represent Canada at the Word Driving Championship in 2017.
The revealing of Brandon Campbell's Canadian colours at our Fraser Downs Racetrack on April 21st saw congratulations from Federal MP John Aldag wishing Brandon the best from the Canadian Government, as he represents our country. Joining him was Standardbred Canada CEO Dan Gall, who experienced his first ride in a starting car! It's going to be an exciting summer tracking Brandon Campbell in August as he is up against the best in the world.
And sincere thanks must go to the dedication and hard work of our Directors and Members who’ve been involved in instilling pride in the backstretch and reaching out more into the community - inviting them into our backstretch to connect with the horsemen and of course, the noble horses who make us who we are.
In our off-season, join us for Surrey Doors Open on Saturday June 17th as the City of Surrey works with us to invite the community into the backstretch to see the racehorses who make the community of Cloverdale their home.
As we negotiate our course for the future, we’ve captured back most of April for at least the next 3 years and our purses saw a good increase this year. The weather and track conditions wreaked havoc on our industry but our members pushed through it and in October 2017 we will be having a 10% purse increase and offering a $750 start fee for horses coming to race at Fraser Downs in the first two weeks of October and staying through to the new year.
We’ve added new stakes resulting in a stake being held every month in 2017 – providing more excitement to engage people in racing. Let’s be proud and conscious of the economic impact and wide array of jobs we provide to our rural and urban economies throughout the Province of B.C.
We’re repositioning ourselves to continue to move forward and reinvigorate interest in our sport. It's time to leverage our abilities and our genuine determination for our sport and our Standardbred horses. This drives our passion for the future of harness racing, and we know that all who come our way will join our contagious enthusiasm.
Here's to the future of harness racing in the Province of British Columbia!
Racing Calendar Revised 2017 - More October Dates!
Harness the Passion!!
Carla Robin
Executive Director
HARNESS THE VISION...At Harness Racing BC, we strive to provide quality, exciting races to increase revenue for our industry participants and the government. Harness Racing in Cloverdale contributes substantially to the BC economic sectors more than most sports and entertainment through job creation in a variety of sectors - agriculture, hospitality, tourism and careers directly related to working with the horses in the racing industry
