Photo Credit: Evergreen Park

By Shane Clausing

horse racing evergreen park

Evergreen Park gears up for final weekend of horse racing

Aug 27, 2021 | 5:00 AM

August 28 and 29 will be the final day of the horse racing season at Evergreen Park.

The horses began running at Evergreen Park on July 10.

By the time Sunday night rolls around, Evergreen Park will have played host to 18 races since July 10, an increase of three from 2020.

General Manager for Evergreen Park Dan Gorman tells EverythingGP he’s considering this season to be a success.

“It’s been a great horse racing season for us,” said Gorman.

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“We’ve had a lot of new people out and a lot of younger people as well. I think everyone just has looked forward at finding different ways to get outside and enjoy something that they haven’t been able to for a while. The crowds have been very good and our weathers been great.”

Gorman says another reason why this season is being considered a success is because of how the community has been respectful of COVID-19 restrictions, while the pandemic still hangs around the city.

He adds having a big outdoor racetrack has helped in keeping people distanced and feeling more comfortable when going out to an event.

The 2021 horse racing season also saw Evergreen Park return with online horse racing for those still not ready to come back to the park.

According to Gorman, they had tremendous success this year with online betting.

“It’s been a really good thing. Our signal is broadcast to a number of different tracks throughout North America and we’re getting a lot of very positive responses by people who are supporting our races by wagering on them and just following us,” he explained.

Gorman added the race they held on August 22 was one of the most successful races online they’ve ever had.

With this weekend the last for the horses, Gorman encourages the residents of Grande Prairie to come out for one final time this year.

He hopes people especially come out on Sunday, as they’ll be raising money to find a cure for pancreatic cancer.

“Sunday it’s our Paint the Park Purple Day. Any of the funds raised or generated go towards finding a cure for pancreatic cancer,” he explained.

“We have a little bit of excitement with the races and with it being the last day, there’s lots of energy and we have a couple of little surprises as well, so people can come on out Sunday and find out about them.”

Admission to get into the horse races is free. Both races on Saturday and Sunday are scheduled to start at 1:15 p.m.