Assiniboia Downs pushes opening day back a week to allow horses more training time

Assiniboia Downs is now planning to start its 2022 Thoroughbred racing season on Tuesday, May 31, a week later than originally planned.

While things are starting to thaw out in Winnipeg as they should in May, late winter storms and other weather-related issues in April have shortened the training window for horses. As the track approached its original start date, it became apparent that horse colony is simply not ready to start in full.

“We have been listening to some concerns coming out of the backstretch,” said Assiniboia CEO Darren Dunn. “Everyone rightfully wants to be able to come out of the gate to compete in top form and with just a little more time they will be ready

“For the sake of a week, we felt it was the right decision to make as we want the same thing as it relates to field size and maximum wagering options for our valued customers.”

The days that were canceled at the start of the meet have been added to the end of the racing schedule to ensure that the track continues to offer all 50 days of racing. The meet will conclude on Sept. 27.

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First-race post at Assiniboia Downs will be 7:30 p.m. Central on all race days.