Closure of Northlands marks an end and a beginning

The first Thoroughbred race at Northlands Park was held in 1900. The last one at the Edmonton, Alberta track will be the 89th running of the Grade 3, $150,000 Canadian Derby on Saturday. The Canadian Derby has been the most important race at Northlands since 1957. The winner of the first derby at Northlands was Spangled Jimmy.

The Canadian Derby evolved from the Manitoba Stakes, which was originally held at Polo Park Racetrack in Winnipeg, Manitoba in 1930. Northlands owns the rights to the derby, but it should continue at Century Mile when it opens next year. Due to the one-mile track configuration of Century Mile, the 1 3/8-mile distance will change to either 1 1/8 or 1 1/4 miles.

With a new one-mile track, the future looks bright for racing in Alberta. However, people involved in the local industry will have conflicting emotions at Northlands Saturday.

“It will be a very sad day,” said Northlands general manager Scott Sinclair. “118 years of Thoroughbred racing on this property comes to an end Saturday. This is such a family, and that’s what I am really going to miss. The family is moving to a new home, and I was there last week, and it is amazing. But with the history and the memories in this building where so many people won their first training win, or their first Canadian Derby, I have mixed emotions. I am pumped up because its derby week, and nothing is more exciting than derby day, but I am really, really sad to see it go.”

The end of an era was just starting to sink in for trainer Craig Smith Wednesday morning.

“I just galloped my last horse here and it hit me pretty hard,” he said. “I won my first race here in 2004, and I’ve spent more time at Northlands than anywhere else in the last 20 years. It is going to be a void for sure. As much as you want a new track, it’s a bit of an unknown, and we always knew we had a good place here.”

Paul Ryneveld will play a big role in how the future of racing in Alberta develops. Ryneveld is the general manager of Century Downs Casino and Racetrack, which held their first thoroughbred meet last year. Ryneveld has been overseeing the building of Century Mile, which is also owned by Century Casinos, Inc. It is on schedule to open the last week of April.

“We have budgeted $60 million for Century Mile, and we spent $30 million on Century Downs,” said Ryneveld. “Most of the difference is being spent on the horse racing part of the facility."

Location, location, location, is a mantra Ryneveld has been chanting the past couple of years. The new track is located in Leduc, which is about 30 miles from downtown Edmonton, and right next to the Edmonton International Airport.

“For racing to be successful, purse money is very important, and a large share of the purses come from slot revenue,” said Ryneveld. “There isn’t any gaming near Leduc, and we believe our slot revenue should be close to double what it is at Northlands.”

Norm Castiglione and Robert Vargo of Riversedge Racing Stables Ltd. have been a major force at Northlands the past couple of years. Castiglione was recently elected president of the local Horsemen’s Protection and Benevolent Association.

“In my business I like to be part of what makes things tick, and I think it is a good time for me to be involved in what makes racing tick,” he said. “I am looking forward to running at the new track and I hope they do a better job than they did at Century Downs. They have a lot more room to work with so they should.”

Tim Rycroft, the main trainer for Riversedge, will win his first training title at Northlands this year. He has many fond memories of racing at Northlands.

“I have been here for most of my life,” he said. “I was the outrider at Northlands for 12 years. I remember the old heydays when the place was jammed on Friday nights and they had to bring the police onto the tarmac to break up the rowdies. Those days are gone, though. It has been a lot of fun here, and hopefully we are moving onto bigger and better things. There are a lot of young people with money that want to get involved, and having a new facility should certainly help.”

Trainer Rod Cone, a long time HBPA board member, has been coming to Northlands for 68 years.

“My dad brought me here when I was 4-years old,” he said. “I fell in love with it and never quit coming. Winning my first derby with Cozy Grey in 1993 is my best memory. That is about as high as a guy is going to get. I am excited about moving forward, though. It won’t happen overnight, but things are looking really good for the future here.”