Alberta's new racetrack, Century Mile, opens Sunday

A new era in horse racing in Western Canada begins Sunday at Century Mile Racetrack and Casino in Nisku, Alberta. Located within shouting distance of the Edmonton International Airport, Century Mile is the only one-mile track in Canada west of Ontario. The track is roughly 18 miles from downtown Edmonton.

Century Mile takes the place of Northlands Park, which after 113 years of racing has closed.

The 51-day meet begins at 1:45 p.m. Mountain and runs through Aug. 26. Post times for Saturday, Sunday, and holidays will be 1:45 p.m. Beginning May 30, Thursdays become part of the program with a 5:55 p.m. first post.

Paul Ryneveld, general manager for Century Mile, is expecting a strong opening. The casino opened to great fanfare April 1.

“We had a huge crowd for the opening of the casino,” said Ryneveld. “With the level of local interest, social media, and media coverage, I expect we’ll have a lot of people show up Sunday. It looks like it will be a nice day, which is a bit of a relief. A few days ago, they were calling for snow. “

Ryneveld is pleased with the nine-race card. Due to the extremely cold weather in February, he was concerned with how many horses would be ready to run.

“We had a deep freeze in February, and the track was a mess when everything melted,” he said. “Everything is great now and I am hearing nothing but good things about the track surface. It has tighter turns than most mile tracks, so the stretch is one of the longest in North America at 1,280 feet.”

Tim Rycroft, the leading trainer at Northlands last year, agreed with Ryneveld about the surface.

“It’s a really nice surface,” he said. “It’s very workable and kind on horses. The works were a bit fast at first, but once the clockers figured out where the poles were they slowed down.”

Rycroft said there is a good chemistry between horsemen and management.

“It is a new facility so there are a few problems in the barn area,” he said. “Management has responded positively to every complaint we’ve had, though. Everything seems to be going in the right direction.”

Former Northlands announcer Matt Jukich is the racing manager for Century Mile. He points to the low takeout as a reason for horse players to be excited about the upcoming season.

“At 14.5 percent, we have the lowest win, place, and show takeout in North America,” said Jukich. “Our pick five and Hi 5 pools will be just 10 percent. The pick three and pick four are 15 percent compared to the 26.8 percent at Northlands. It’s a new beginning for racing in Edmonton.”

Jukich said a permanent announcer has yet to be hired. Michael Wrona will call the races for the first three weeks. After his stint at Century Mile, Wrona will become the announcer at Arizona Downs. He is also the caller at Kentucky Downs. His previous job was at Santa Anita.

“We are thrilled to have someone of Michael’s stature helping us open the season,” Jukich said.

The highlight of the meet is the Grade 3, $150,000 Canadian Derby on Aug. 18. The distance has been changed from 1 3/8 miles to 1 1/4 miles.

Sharing the spotlight on the derby card are the $100,000 Century Casino Oaks and the $75,000 Century Mile for 3-year-olds and up.

Rico Walcott, the dominant rider in Alberta, will not be riding at the beginning of the meet. Walcott, 29, is recovering from surgery to remove a brain tumor.

“Rico is doing well,” said his agent Bob Fowlis. “He hasn’t received the results yet, so we don’t know when he will be able to ride again. He said he is feeling great, though, and if all is well he should be back sometime in June. He has a follow-up appointment with his surgeon on May 13.”

Walcott was the leading jockey at Northlands the last eight years. He was also the leading rider at both meets at Century Downs, which opened in 2017.

The first race at the new track is a good one. It features the return of Trooper John, who was the Horse of the Year in Alberta in 2017. The Tim Rycroft-trained 5-year-old has not raced since he won the $50,000 Don Getty Handicap at Northlands on July 21.

“I am just hoping for him to run well and come back good,” said Rycroft.

Trooper John is the 7-5 morning-line favorite in the 5 1/2-furlong open allowance race for 3-year-olds and up.