Northlands Park enjoys bump in business

Both daily and total all-sources mutuel handle at the Northlands Park meet this year showed increases from last year. The 2015 season at the Edmonton, Alberta, racetrack ran from May 1 through Oct.24.

A total of $21,475,337 was wagered over 75 days this year at Northlands Park, a 7 percent increase over the 2014 total, which was bet over 73 days. On one day this year, the races were canceled after the first two races due to unsafe track conditions.

The average of $286,337 was up by 4 percent compared to last year’s average.

All of the gains came offtrack, with the ontrack average of $80,899 this year a 6 percent drop from 2014.

Interim general manager Scott Sinclair was pleased with the 2015 meet. Sinclair took over from Chris Roberts as general manager on Aug. 16.

"The 2015 racing season was a huge success,” he said. “Not only did we see handle growth of 4 percent but we also saw a noticeably younger demographic attending race days. We appreciate all the support we have received from our horsemen and look forward to an exciting 2016 racing season."

Sinclair said the 2016 racing schedule hasn’t been set yet. There is a possibility Thoroughbreds will run at Century Downs next year. The track, located in Balzac, a suburb of Calgary, opened last April with harness racing and may hold a Thoroughbred meet next fall.

On the track it was another good year for trainer Greg Tracy and jockey Rico Walcott, who repeated as the leaders in their respective divisions.

Tracy won 67 races for horse earnings of $812,278. Tim Rycroft was second with 56 wins but was the leader in money earned with $814,036.

Walcott dominated the local jockey colony with 139 wins and $1.4 million in mount earnings. Scott Williams finished second with 72 wins and $766,268 in earnings.

The highlight of the meet was the 3-year-old filly Academic winning the Grade 3 Canadian Derby.