Standardbred Canada conducted a conference call with the eight WRDC competitors on Wednesday, May 8, to finalise the horses they would drive this coming Saturday, May 11, at Century Downs Racetrack and Casino.
This is the first time that the WRDC has ever had a draft call organised. This concept, which was adapted from the National Driving Championship, gave drivers the opportunity to choose the horses they would compete with. Eight competition races will be attended by the eight drivers. There will be eight competitors in each race, and each driver will participate in eight different races, starting from every post position.
In a manner akin to a fantasy draft, the WRDC drivers choose their favourite horses, with the chance for each driver to choose first overall in one of the eight races. The draft order for the first WRDC race was decided by a draw, and each driver had the chance to draw a draft position from first to eighth. A random number generator was then used to establish the draft order for the next seven WRDC races. To guarantee that every driver begins the race from post one through post eight, post placements were assigned after the draft.
The opening race on the WRDC harness racing card is scheduled to post at 12:45 p.m. (MDT) / 2:45 p.m. (EDT), with Race 4 hosting the inaugural WRDC race. The races that will feature the WRDC are Races 4 through 11.