Grand River Raceway will begin a new era of harness racing this June with the start of the 2024 season.
The half-mile racing surface has been expanded into a five-eighths-of-a-mile strip, and the renovation is expected to be finished in time for Opening Night on June 5.
The last layer of track material was laid last week, according to McCaig. This week's work will continue with hydroseeding the grassed regions, final electrical connections and testing, and setting the pylons and timer sensors.
McCaig informed Trot Insider that the track surface should be finished by mid-week. He mentioned that it might not be possible to deal with the topsoil until early May because of the rain.
The track surface will next be tested and prepared for racing.
“Greg Coon from Coon and Associates has been on site and is offering advice and suggestions for preparing the track surface for racing,” said McCaig of the renowned trackman. “We intend to have training available in early May and based on feedback from that, modifications can be made before opening night.”
The project has generated a lot of excitement in the racing community, as many bettors and horse enthusiasts are eager to see how the expansion will affect racing at the Ontario track.
"We have the same number of race dates this year, so the new track expansion won't significantly alter the racing schedule," McCaig said. “We will face certain difficulties, just like anything novel and unique. It will be fantastic to enter horses that haven't historically been at ease on a half-mile course.”
Grand River Raceway will feature 48 race dates from June through September's end. Monday, Wednesday, and Friday nights will see racing. 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.
Plans for the raceway's reconfiguration in Elora, Ontario were first revealed in July 2021 and then postponed in October 2022. Work finally started in mid-August 2023, during the track's 20th racing season. The new track surface, new LED lighting, timer boxes, camera towers, vet hut, and fencing surrounding the track have all been installed as part of the project.
As the project draws closer to completion, Doug McCaig, the facilities manager at Grand River Raceway, gave Trot Insider an update.