Assiniboia Downs is now planning to start the 2022 live thoroughbred racing season Tuesday May 31, a week later than originally planned.
While things are starting to thaw out in Winnipeg as they should in May, the late winter storms and other related weather issues experienced in April have shortened the training window for horses. As the track quickly approached their original start date, it became apparent that the horse colony is simply not ready to start in full.
“We have been listening to some concerns coming out of the backstretch,” said Darren Dunn, chief executive officer. “Everyone rightfully wants to be able to come out of the gate to compete in top form and with just a little more time they will be ready. For the sake of a week, we felt it was the right decision to make as we want the same thing as it relates to field size and maximum wagering options for our valued customers.”