Last week, HBPA (BC) Vice President (Owners) Denise Praill and TRBC Chair Gary Johnson updated fellow board members on productive recent meetings with both City and Provincial officials.
Denise and Gary met with Minister Nina Krieger, who has recently taken the reins of the Ministry of Public Safety and Solicitor General. Krieger’s new portfolio includes regulation for the liquor, cannabis and gambling sectors.
Denise reported the meeting to be “very positive”, with particular interest shown by Krieger in the role of Great Canadian Gaming Corp. In a positive departure from previous meetings, Krieger was keen to open up direct lines of communication between the racing industry and her office. Further discussions are planned.
There was no news regarding speculation surrounding the future of Hastings’ real estate, other than to confirm that no decision can be made without full agreement between both the Province and the City.
Future funding was also discussed with Krieger, who reported that a review of both Standardbred and Thoroughbred racing continues and that no decision about funding for 2026 will be made until the review is completed sometime in the coming fall.
Gary and Denise also reported a positive meeting with Vancouver City Councillor Mike Klassen. In addition, Klassen has linked Gary and Denise to decision makers at City Hall.
There is no further news regarding the possible sale of the Casino licence, although Gary now has direct contact details for the Tsleil-Waututh Nation’s development officer and will reach out to that office in the next few days.
Denise and Gary will attend an NDP fundraiser with the finance minister on September 16th.
Future Racing
HBPA president David Milburn reiterated that there will be racing at Hastings in 2026, regardless of government funding, and urged trainers to plan accordingly.
The number of race dates will be announced later in the year following discussions with the track operator.
However, following a financial report from Neil Stajkowski, with input from David Milburn, it was agreed that this season’s September 14th and 28th race days will be cancelled. The decision has since been agreed upon by Thoroughbred Racing BC.
It was also confirmed that, while discussions continue over the exact dates, the Hastings season will continue into October, with dates to be confirmed as soon as possible.
Fraser Downs
At the same time that Hastings’ future was being discussed, Great Canadian Entertainment, which owns and runs Fraser Downs in Surrey, that is adjacent to its Elements Casino, said Friday it would end horse racing immediately, after the City of Surrey, which owns the grounds, terminated the lease.
Surrey Mayor Brenda Locke said in a statement that the city ended the lease to begin work to “revitalize” the Cloverdale fairgrounds and town centre. From the Canadian Press, [Locke] said the racetrack and backstretch take up more than 4.8 hectares, and the revitalization aims to deliver new housing and public spaces, support a $3-billion hospital, and expand recreation.
“We respect the long history of horse racing in Surrey and the people connected to it. We carefully weighed those impacts against the citywide benefits of revitalization,” said Locke.
“This is a city-building decision about using public land for the greatest public good, taken within our constitutional rights and with proper notice.”
The CTHS BC released its 2025 yearling sale list and there are just 14 horses entered for the September 3 sale.
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