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May 2021 Manitoba Harness Update

  Now that we are less than 5 weeks away from opening day, I find myself pondering the expectations of this summer and how it could affect the long-term success of the Manitoba Harness Racing program. With the ongoing pandemic still controlling our day-to-day and the uncertainty of every aspect of life, this raises some very important questions. How is harness racing being perceived within the province and will it change once the track in Winnipeg is open? Can a small grassroots circuit survive a post pandemic world? Can Manitoba become a home to harness racing with national wide recognition? I’m sure I will find out the answers to these questions in due time, but they are still very important to those running the Manitoba Standardbred Racing Industry. In my short time of working and focusing my time on covering Manitoba Harness, I have thought that those at the top have the best intentions at growing the program here. President Trevor Williams and Vice-President Mike Williams have...

Manitoba's Contribution to the Return of Harness Racing

  The highly anticipated return of Canadian harness racing will happen this Tuesday evening at Western Fair Raceway and Rideau Carleton Raceway. Racing fans coast to coast rejoice that standardbred racing has been given the green light to return to action, filling the void from which occurred from it’s departure. Although the regular season here in Manitoba would not normally start until June regardless of this shutdown, Manitoba has had its own impact on Tuesday’s race cards. After looking at each track’s program, a few familiar names from the Manitoba circuit would catch the eye of many harness racing fans from the keystone province.   Race 7 at Rideau Carlton Raceway features the Manitoban bred REYS N A ROCKET. Currently owned by Limco Inc out of Chateauguay, QC, the 7-year-old mare has had an accomplished career with 32 wins over 126 lifetime starts accumulating $191,817 in winnings. The bay mare was a star in her home province of Manitoba during her 3-year-old season....