LEAMINGTON RACEWAY PREPARING FOR 2020 SEASON LEAMINGTON — Fans of harness racing will be happy to know that Leamington Raceway’s season will be going ahead, beginning with the opening card on Sunday, August 9. Those same fans may be disappointed that, at least for now, the racing cards will be held without fans present. Plans are underway to provide live simulcasts of the races at the Leamington Fairgrounds and with that, real-time pari-mutuel betting online, through a site called HPIbet.com With the Ontario government’s announcement that horse racing can go ahead with restrictions, horsemen and their families are grateful for the chance to race again. Mark Williams, President, Lakeshore Horse Racing Association, says it’s important that the horses race. “These horses are athletes,” he said. “It’s not good for them to not race.” The horsemen and women are working toward their opening date in Leamington with renewed optimism after the COVID-19 pandemic stopped all racing across Ontario. Slowly, the industry is getting back in gear with Dresden Raceway opening their season this past weekend. Williams is happy that they are racing, but disappointed that the fans won’t be allowed in person. “Our fans are our biggest thing,” he said. “We put on a family friendly event.” Williams went on to say that the Lakeshore Horse Racing Association is preparing to put all necessary protocol in place for their horsemen, the staff and the fans, when they are able to return. “Safety is our number one priority,” he said. He expects they will go above and beyond the protocols set forth by the government and he also hopes that, eventually, they will get the okay to allow fans at the track. They have about ten weeks until post time, so a lot can change during that time. Williams says they’ll be ready, either way. 194 Talbot St. E. Leamington ON N8H 1M2 | Tel: 519-398-9098 www.southpointsun.ca | sun@southpointsun.ca
“We have a great crew behind the scenes here,” he said. “Dan Wiper, who is president of the Leamington Ag Society, is a great guy and he will help us make that happen.” Williams expects that the government will give them at least a week’s notice as to when they can allow fans in the grandstand, so he’s confident they can get all of the tote machines and electronics in place in that time span. “When the time comes, we’ll be ready,” he said. Until then, they will try some new methods of keeping the fans busy between races as they watch from the comfort of their own home. “We plan on having colour commentary between races, so people don’t have to sit around much,” he said. Currently, the normal time between races is about ten minutes. Meanwhile, the trainers will keep training with an eye on August 9 as the return to racing in Leamington. The fans may have to wait a little longer to see the horses run in person but can sign up and do their wagering at HPIbet.com at many tracks across North America, including Leamington Raceway.
194 Talbot St. E. Leamington ON N8H 1M2 | Tel: 519-398-9098 www.southpointsun.ca | sun@southpointsun.ca
