Northlands Park opens with optimism for season

Chris Roberts, the executive director and general manager at Northlands Park, is looking forward to the 2015 Thoroughbred meet that starts Friday evening with seven races.

“I am excited about getting back to doing what we do best,” said Roberts. “It has been a long winter, and we’re looking forward to continuing the positive momentum that has been building in the Thoroughbred industry. The handle has been up for the past three years, and there is certainly a positive attitude about the future.”

Part of the reason for the optimism is the opening of Century Downs Racetrack and Casino in Balzac, a suburb of Calgary. There hasn’t been racing in Calgary since Stampede Park closed in 2008.

Last weekend, Century Downs opened with two Standardbred cards. The combined handle for Saturday and Sunday was less than $150,000, but a portion of the money generated from the 550 slot machines eventually will make its way into purses for Thoroughbreds at Northlands. The casino has been open since April 1.

According to Paul Ryneveld, general manager at Century Downs, Thoroughbreds could be running there in the fall of 2016.

“Eventually, we would like to hold a spring meet,” he said. “But we won’t have enough stall space ready next spring, so we are hoping to run in the fall.”

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Easing into the meet

Northlands is one of the northernmost tracks in North America, and most of the horses racing there stay home for the winter. Not surprisingly, entries are usually a bit light during the first couple of weeks, and the majority of races are contested over 3 1/2 furlongs.

“We really look at the first couple of weeks as a way to get the local horses started,” said Roberts. “It should get better next week and grow from there.”

The highlight of the meet is the Grade 3, $200,000 Canadian Derby on Aug. 15. The 1 3/8-mile Derby will be supported by the $50,000 Sonoma for 3-year-old fillies, the $50,000 Westerner for 3-year-olds and up, and the $50,000 Sun Sprint for 3-year-olds and up.

Greg Tracy is back with a strong contingent of horses and likely will repeat as leading trainer. He has last year’s leading rider, Rico Walcott, named on Cleanslate in a $17,500 claiming race for fillies and mares that will serve as the opening-day feature. The six-furlong sprint drew five horses and goes as the sixth race.

KEY CONTENDERS

Eltoninadress (Last 3 Beyers: 64-64-71)

◗ Trained by Rod Cone, Eltoninadress has good speed, and the last time she ran on dirt, she used it to win a $10,000 claiming race Dec. 31 at Santa Anita.

◗ She is coming off a second-place finish on Tapeta in a $12,500 claiming race Jan. 29 at Golden Gate Fields and should appreciate the surface switch.

Cleanslate (Last 3 Beyers: 42-63-39)

◗ She figures to move forward in her second start this year, and it is hard to ignore the strong jockey-trainer combo that won races at a 39 percent clip at last year’s meet.