Local horse racing season just around the corner

CTV News

6 days ago

The countdown is on for the return of harness horse racing at Leamington Raceway.
The Lakeshore Horse Racing Association is preparing for the 2025 season, which starts on Aug. 10.
Association member Tom Bain said this year's race season includes 13 race dates.
He said association members are looking forward to the upcoming season.
'We're out there our team working daily and getting things done such as doing work on the track, preparing it, doing extra work on the grandstand and even a little bit of work on our paddock which has just recently been built,' he said.
Bain said they continue to build off the 'tremendous' years at Leamington Raceway.
'Our attendance has gone up each year and our betting has gone up each year,' said Bain.
'So, we're looking forward to another big season.'
He said the association continues to push for more race dates.
'We go down to Toronto and say, 'hey look at our attendance, hey look at our betting, we broke the record twice last year for total betting' and we're seeking to gain a few more days if we can hopefully next, we'll have more than our 13 Sundays,' said Bain.
The horse racing season in Leamington wraps up on Nov. 2.
Last year, the association's average attendance was between 700 to 800 people.
The highest betting day last season for one Sunday was $86,000.
- Written by Rob Hindi/AM800 News.