After more than a century, Northlands Park is stepping out of the horse racing business. It has been announced that 2016 will be the final year for Thoroughbred and harness racing at the Edmonton, Alberta venue, home of the Canadian Derby.
The news comes as a blow to the industry, as Northlands Park is widely recognized as one of Western Canada’s top racetracks. However, Horse Racing Alberta (HRA) stressed that this is not the end of racing in the province. They released the following statement:
“The Alberta Horse Racing and Breeding industry is rich in history, tradition and culture. Horse Racing began in Alberta in 1905, and we thank Northlands Park for being a part of that tradition for over 100 years. Obviously we are disappointed in their decision to leave racing at Northlands Park, they have been a strong partner over many years. However, we respect their decision and wish them well in their new endeavors. We will work with Northlands Park as they transition out of racing to minimize the impact on our industry.
“In Alberta, the Horse Racing and Breeding Industry is a way of life. Every day over 7,000 Albertans work hard caring for over 7,000 horses in communities across our province.
“Horse Racing Alberta remains committed to continue to race, entertain, provide jobs and contribute significantly to Alberta’s economy.
“Horse Racing Alberta is aware of interests in building a track in the Edmonton area and will explore, with our industry partners, options for racing in the Edmonton area.”
Shirley McClellan, HRA’s CEO said a new track could be operational as soon as 2018, provided that funding can be secured and a new gaming deal can be agreed upon with the Alberta government.
As for Northlands, big changes are on the way, following their “Vision 2020”, which includes:
• Renovating Rexall Place to create the Northlands Ice Coliseum – a two-floor arena with room for up to 3,000 spectators.
• Renovating the Expo Centre’s Hall D into a 5,000-seat sports and concert venue.
• Converting the racetrack and casino into an urban festival site, where large-scale concerts could be held for between 30,000 and 140,000 guests. This would include the installation of a large stage on the north side of the raceway site.
Northlands CEO Tim Reid estimates the cost of the redevelopment at $170-million, but noted that there are no final plans at this time. Further, he didn’t rule out the possibility of hosting horse racing in the future, but said that under the current business model this is not feasible.
Get the details of the comprehensive plan to transform Northlands in this article by the Edmonton Journal.
Learn more about horse racing at Northlands Park here. For the 2016 Thoroughbred schedule, click here and the 2016 harness racing schedule, click here.
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