Prior to the start of Grand River Raceway's 2024 harness racing season next month, the first Standardbreds took on the recently enlarged five-eighths of a mile racetrack.
Last Thursday, May 9, Grand River Raceway, a former half-mile racetrack, held its first training session after the reconfiguration. Three sets of trainers used the oval in Elora, Ontario.
Horsemen and track management gave the new racing surface excellent initial reviews.
Trevor and Shannon Henry, a husband and wife combination from Arthur, Ontario, drove and trained their first horse on the track, Norm Dunstan's homebred two-year-old trotting colt Lexus Legacy. Trixton's unraced kid seemed to be handling the outing well and didn't seem to be too bothered by the construction trucks that were circling the track to finish work.
“I think it’s great,” stated Trevor Henry, commenting on the new track in a social media video posted by Grand River Raceway. “It’s a lot bigger, the turns are certainly bigger than they were before and the surface seems really good. It seems like it’s gonna be a great idea and should work great.”
“Usually we go to Mohawk to train them down, but you never get anything done at the barns, so coming here is way better for us — we’re only 20 minutes away,” remarked Shannon Henry. “And it's a good experience for [the horses] and, you know, we’ll bring them here to race because, you know, a bigger track… trotters… it’s good for everybody.”
“Thursday was an exciting day for us at Grand River Raceway, horses trained on the new track for the first time, and everything went off without a hitch,” Jenna MacDonell, Raceway Manager at Grand River Raceway, noted Trot Insider. “The plan for the new five-eighths-mile track has been in the works for several years, and it was amazing to witness the first horse enter the track. We have a large harness racing community in this area, so it is incredible for the horse people to have this larger track available so close by. With the new track, I expect we will see many more young horses racing here, along with those who previously could not race on a half-mile track. In past years, the team at Grand River has done an amazing job creating a facility where the public can get excited about racing. The new track means we can offer a great product for both visitors on-site and those viewing via simulcast.”
In August of last year, Grand River Raceway's reconfiguration got underway. According to MacDonell, this week the judge's PA and emergency light system will be connected to timer boxes.
On Wednesday, June 5, the first day of the 2024 harness racing season, racing on Grand River's brand-new five-eighths-of-a-mile raceway, will go forward as planned. Grand River will hold 48 race events, with Monday, Wednesday, and Friday nights featuring racing, from June to the end of September. Except on Monday, August 5, when the track's iconic Industry Day program will start at 12:30 p.m., post time will be 6:30 p.m.