Most currently, Century Mile Racetrack and Casino has been given the go-ahead to restart live harness racing at its premises. After an equine influenza outbreak, the Alberta racing facilities was given permission by Horse Racing Alberta to host racing dates once again, as veterinarians deem the property as clear from the virus.
Due to the outbreak of the equine virus, Century Mile Racetrack and Casino had to cancel several racing dates from the current live harness calendar over the last two weekends. Now, Horse Racing Alberta expresses its thanks to all trainers, veterinarians, staff at the track, and the Alberta Standardbred Horse Association for their patience and cooperation.
Racing Can Resume
The latest statement from Horse Racing Alberta informs that Century Mile Racetrack is now safe to host horse racing events again. The association, along with the track’s management and Alberta Standardbred Horse Association have closely monitored the situation at the horse racing facility and now veterinarians clear the track from influenza.
Now, due to the cancelation of racing dates, Horse Racing Alberta has extended the qualifying period for the provincial horses from the previous 45 days to 60 days until the end of December 2021. Additionally, the race track accepted entries on Tuesday, December 7, 2021. In the upcoming days, the track is expected to announce the new race dates.
After the discovery of the equine virus, the Infectious Diseases Protocols closed down the track, and now horses were allowed to enter or leave the premises. All affected horses were put under quarantine, and have remained in such for a minimum of seven days, regardless if they have shown symptoms of the virus. Also, stalls were regularly disinfected, as well as the track and equipment.
Equine athletes that were scheduled to participate in the canceled November 19 race date were placed on the Vet List. They will be allowed to race once they are cleared from the list by Horse Racing Alberta Commission Vet. Racing at the venue was on schedule to return earlier on December 3, however, the situation was not thoroughly resolved.
Next Season Details
Additionally, this week, Horse Racing Alberta provided an update on its live racing season for next year. The 2022 racing calendar promises tons of entertainment and emotions as it will consist of 200 exciting racing dates, out of which 97 will be devoted to Standardbred racing across the province’s racing facilities. Such as Century Mile, Century Downs, Rocky Mountain Turf Club, Track On 2, and Evergreen Park.
The next live racing season at Century Miles is set to have over 20 dates for Standardbred racing and 54 dates for Thoroughbreds. The season sets off on January 8, 2022, through February 26, 2022. Then, later in 2022, races at the Edmonton facility will restart on November 18, and run until December 31. The association reminds that dates for the season could be subject to a change.
Source: “Racing To Resume At Century Mile”, Standardbred Canada, December 7, 2021
