CHARLOTTETOWN, P.E.I. — Following the direction of the chief public health officer, the live harness racing season has been tentatively pushed back to June 4 at Red Shores at the Charlottetown Driving Park (CDP).
The racing season was scheduled to begin on May 2 but concerns due to the coronavirus (COVID-19 strain) have led racing officials to cancel all May dates at both Island tracks. A further announcement will be made on May 1 for live racing at the CDP and Red Shores at the Summerside Raceway when hopefully the picture will be clearer as to whether a June start is realistic. The Ruby Chappell and Bob Dewar stake events scheduled for Summerside on May 31 will be rescheduled to a date later this season.
The change in the schedule cuts out 11 live race programs on the Island, with three of those scheduled for Summerside. The situation is fluid with more adjustments to the schedule a real possibility. If the June 4 start date stands, with no additional dates, it will leave 27 race cards for the 2020 season in Summerside and 64 cards at the CDP in the calendar year. They would be spread over 59 dates, with five of those to be doubleheader programs. Those 64 cards in Charlottetown includes up to Dec. 31 with January 2021 dates to be added on top of those totals.
There is currently no harness racing across the continent, but a small number of thoroughbred tracks continue to operate.
Training continues at both Island tracks with the stabling area in Charlottetown undergoing a number of security measures to allow only essential personnel, namely trainers and grooms, to care for the horses during certain time slots. This has allowed the more than 250 horses at the city track to continue being cared for while limiting the number of individuals in the barn area at any given time. There is no question the leadership from the team at Red Shores has been tremendous during these unprecedented times. Stay tuned for updates, but fingers are crossed for a return to some level of normalcy with a June start.
U.S. scene
Rene Allard, a three-time Gold Cup and Saucer-winning trainer, has recently been indicted as part of an investigation into horse doping in the United States that has seen charges laid against 29 individuals in the thoroughbred and standardbred industry.
Allard, who also owns a home on P.E.I. after becoming an Old Home Week regular the past decade, was reportedly arrested while vacationing in Las Vegas. He was charged with mislabelling medication by the U.S. attorney’s office for the Southern District of New York.
Nicholas Oakes' column appears in The Guardian each Friday. He can be reached at [email protected].
