from Kawartha Downs

Fraserville, ON — Kawartha Downs, which is privileged to have one of the most loyal group of horse people, staff and fans in the province, will kick off their 45th season of racing this Saturday (May 27).

What will strike most regular fans immediately is the lack of Gord Brown in the program. The driver with the most wins ever at Kawartha, Gord decided in the off season to retire. However, he’ll still be at Kawartha each Saturday night as he’s now our track’s expert race analyst.

Prior to each race night he’ll host “Tonight At KD” with race announcer Evan Loucks and following that he’ll be available to race fans who want some direction regarding betting, reading the program, which horse he likes best, etc. We’re celebrating Gord’s incredible career this Saturday with a poster giveaway depicting a few of his achievements in the bike which Gord will be available to sign.

Kawartha’s drivers’ colony is deep though, thanks to veterans like Reg Gassien, Tony Kerwood and Doug Hie who will challenge the up and comers Nick Boyd, Rob Doyle and Justin Turcotte for wins.

In addition, we will have Hiltons Hot Stuff on hand. This very unique Standardbred whose markings resemble a paint horse, works at Tara Hills Stud in addition to being an ambassador for the Ontario Standardbred Adoption Society and will be available for photos with fans.

Sign the kids up to join our Kids’ Club and they’ll receive a free knapsack. Giveaways and prize draws take place throughout the evening. Post time is 7 p.m.

This year’s additional special event nights are as follows:

June 10 – Celebration of the Horse featuring miniature horse races
June 24 and Sept. 9 – Memorial Nights
July 1 – Canada Day and 250th anniversary of horse racing in Canada
July 15 – 45th anniversary of racing at Kawartha
July 29 – Family Fun Night
Aug. 12 – Ontario Sires Stakes
Sept. 2 – Titans of Trotting anchored by Goodtimes Invitational
Sept. 30 – Shorelines Drivers’ Championship, Appreciation Night