Table of Contents:
Introduction
Century Downs is the newest racecourse in Canada, so we have taken a look at what a day at the track looks like. It’s not one of the shining lights of Canadian racing as anywhere not running near-exclusive thoroughbred races is somewhat looked down upon within industry but the track certainly has its place, with an enjoyable racing experience near assured with such good facilities on racegoers doorstep.
History of the racetrack
Century Downs Racecourse was first opened on April 1, 2015, with its first day of Standardbred racing taking place on April 25th 2015. The Century Downs Racetrack is a casino and horse racing track near Calgary. It is one of two “A-level” horse racing venues in the province of Alberta. Once opened Century Downs brought live horse racing back to the Calgary area for the first time since 2008. Century Downs offers live Standardbred races on weekends and holidays throughout the months of April to November.
Century Downs Racetrack and Casino offer horse racing fans 100 days of racing throughout the year. Racing enthusiasts can enjoy Thoroughbred Standardbred and Quarter Horse racing spring summer and fall. In 2019 with the addition of the WPCA chuckwagon world final in August, the calibre of racing being staged at the course continued to increase.
Interesting Facts
- Century Downs racecourse was first opened on the 1st April 1 2015.
- 100 days of racing throughout the year.
Racetrack Specification
The Century Downs Racecourse is based in Alberta, Canada and it has a track built for flat racing with a dirt surface. The track is built with speedsters in mind as it’s 5 ½ furlongs in distance which would be the near minimum trip for racing in Europe but would be much more common sight on American and Canadian tracks.
Facilities
The majority of the facilities at Century Downs are located in the casino side of the business with the casino features 550 slot machines, seven VLTs, and an Off-Track Betting area which simulcasts both Standardbred and Thoroughbred races from around the world
Dining facilities include the Mid City Grill restaurant. Homestretch Room, Mid City Grill and casual lounge, which features a variety of daily and weekly dining specials to tempt you.
Covid-19 Implications
Due to the hiatus this year, Franco (Marketing Manager) said races will be limited to standardbred, harness-racing horses. Thoroughbred fans will have to make the trek to Leduc, Alta.
“They’re racing right now in [Leduc], at our sister property – Century Mile” Franco said. “Because of the delay of getting things up and running, it just doesn’t make sense to try to bring the thoroughbreds down here this year.”
In light of the restrictions in place and lack of thoroughbred racing, it means that it’s difficult to predict the trainers, owners and horses to follow in 2020 but the list below highlights the top performers in each division for 2019 and it will pay to follow the below once again.
Top Horses to follow 2020
Thoroughbreds
Quarter Horse
Top Jockeys to follow 2020
Thoroughbreds
Quarter Horse
Top Trainers to follow 2020
Thoroughbreds
Quarter Horse
Online betting with RaceBets
Racebets offers odds on both gallop and trot/harness racing from Canada, while also allowing users to view races.
Canadians as a nation are keen punters on their own horse racing as well as events in the United States and beyond, which makes Racebets the ideal place for any racing enthusiast. .
Racebets provides all your betting options including win, place, show and the exotics: quinellas, exactas, trifectas and Superfecta.
Canadian racing is covered by a pari-mutuel (totalisator) system, with its pools commingled with those of the United States. It is overseen by the Canadian Pari-Mutuel Agency (CPMA)
Join Us
If you don’t already have a Racebets account, then click here to join us and enjoy racing from all over the world. We offer a 5% bonus on your stakes on all Canadian and USA horse racing which means you are always getting more for your money. The added benefit of joining Racebets is that you can watch all the action on our live streams.
Watch Live Streams at RaceBets
Source: https://blog.racebets.com/century-downs-horse-racing-betting
