Pacific Thoroughbred Racing Association says fall 2026 meet at Hastings unlikely

On July 8, the nonprofit Pacific Thoroughbred Racing Association, founded in 2026 to revive horse racing in British Columbia, convened an online meeting during which it informed stakeholders that it was unlikely that Vancouver’s Hastings Racecourse would run a 10-day fall meet in 2026.

Hastings was abruptly shuttered last October after the provincial government pulled its casino subsidies, citing a lack of economic health in the horse racing industry, among other factors. During the July 8 meeting, the PTRA took a more optimistic stance toward running a short Hastings meet sometime in 2027, relaying that it had reached a memorandum of understanding with the city of Vancouver to get the old bull ring back up and running, at least for a little while.

“There has been strong interest in the idea of a short fall meet at Hastings,” PTRA CEO Ryan Bremner told Daily Racing Form via email. “With Emerald Downs and Century Mile going dark in early September, it would be a terrific addition to the Pacific Northwest season. However, the timelines and regulatory requirements are making it very difficult to deliver responsibly in 2026.

“With Vancouver’s responsibilities as a FIFA World Cup host city understandably consuming considerable staff and operational resources, completing the necessary legal, operational, and public safety reviews within the available timeline has proven extremely challenging. Race dates cannot be approved until there is a confirmed operator, finalized agreements, and a complete operational and compliance framework.”

The horsemen who occupied the Hastings backstretch in 2025 have their stables spread out across Canada and the Pacific Northwest, with most shifting their bases to Century Mile in Alberta and a handful crossing the border to Emerald Downs in Washington.

Trainer Dino Colndilenios, who’s been racing at Century Mile, said of the proposal to revive racing at Hastings, “I think we all want to race there. How realistic that is, hard to say.”

Fellow trainer Steve Henson, who now runs horses at Emerald and who sits on the boards of both the British Columbia Horsemen’s Benevolent and Protective Association and the PTRA, said “I’m going to go to Vancouver no matter what, but I don’t know if the [horse] population will be around if we don’t run a fall meet. We have all the people in place to run a meet, but where’s the population of horses gonna come from? Our youth’s not gonna come back to Vancouver if we don’t have a fall meet.

“Our younger horsemen have all gone to Alberta because it’s cheaper there. If we don’t have a fall meet, those people are gonna say, ‘Oh no.’ They’ve moved. The old guys, we’re all coming back. This is where we live.”

During the July 8 meeting, the PTRA emphasized that it was looking for large plots of land in British Columbia’s Fraser Valley upon which to build a new racetrack. When asked whether this made sense in light of the provincial government’s dim view of the industry, Bremner responded “A modern, purpose‑built facility has the potential to reshape how racing contributes to the province. A modern facility, paired with strong partnerships, has the potential to change how racing is viewed in British Columbia, and we’re committed to doing that responsibly."

This is music to Henson’s ears, but at the same time, he’s skeptical as to how realistic it is.

“We don’t have the population of horsemen,” Henson said. “I think it’d be fabulous, but where are they coming from? It’s a tough industry as it is, but if you’ve moved to Alberta or Manitoba, you’re not coming to B.C. because the cost of living is astronomical. We need a bit of a runway to rebuild our industry here. Our nonprofit, with Ryan Bremner, he’s been fabulous. I’ll support any track in Vancouver, any time.”

:: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.