Fort Erie to close · 9.01.09

By now you’ve likely heard that Fort Erie Race Track (near Niagara Falls, Ontario, just across the border from Buffalo) will almost certainly close later this year. The announcement was made by the track’s owners, Nordic Gaming Corp., on Dec. 15.

It is always a sad event when a racetrack closes, and such closures have a chilling effect on the sport as a whole. In the case of Fort Erie this is even more true, as it is/was one of only two full-size tracks in Canada — the other being Woodbine.

The other issue arising from Fort Erie’s demise is the future of the Canadian Triple Crown — the series’ second jewel, the Prince of Wales Stakes, is run there. The race could of course be run at Woodbine — but what would be the point of having a “Canadian” triple crown if all three races are to be run at the same track? On the other hand, it is unlikely that the Prince of Wales could be run at a “bullring” like Hastings, Northlands, or Assiniboia Downs.

If/when the new one-mile track near Calgary opens (completion has been delayed until at least 2010), that facility would be a fitting host to the middle leg of Canada’s Triple Crown, making the series a truly national event. Until then, and assuming the Prince of Wales Stakes is moved to Toronto, let’s just call it the “Woodbine Triple Crown” and be done with it.

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What do you think?

  1. I spoke to some people “in the know” in Toronto and it isn’t quite dead yet, but nearly so. The owner had a grandiose plan of redoing the whole place but the economic melt down is probably going to nix that effort.

    — Dr. Timothy Yatca,k · Jan 12, 02:20 PM · #

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