by Ashley Mayotte, WEG communications

Campbellville, ON — When Mohawk Racetrack opens its doors for the summer meet on Thursday (May 19), the excitement will only have just begun.

Woodbine Entertainment’s Vice-President of Standardbred Racing Bruce Murray explains that with racing 12 months a year, it is important to focus on particular months in order to witness the best of the best.

“To draw an analogy to other sports, the next few months are like the playoffs for local racing, the number of major races and all the top horses that go together with that,” said Murray. “It’s the most exciting time of the year for horse racing.”

The C$1.5 million Pepsi North America Cup is the most anticipated event on the stakes calendar, which will feature the sport’s top 3-year-old pacers, set for June 18.

Over the winter months, the company has outfitted the Campbellville facility with additional flat screen televisions and is all set to unveil the newly renovated Trackside Lounge on Thursday.

“The Trackside Lounge on the main floor has undergone a total transformation, with a new furniture layout, fixtures and an attractive casual menu,” said Murray. “We think customers and horsepeople alike will really enjoy the surroundings and find this a comfortable place to gather.”

Also new is the launch of a Mohawk Facebook page, where fans can get harness racing news, event updates and race results.

Beginner Betting Seminars will continue to be part of each major racing event. The first seminar, hosted by WEG’s Greg Gangle, will be held on Fireworks and Family Fun Night on Sunday, May 22, at 5:30 p.m. Special guest, driver Jody Jamieson, will be on hand to offer insight and answer questions. Customers can pre-register online.

In addition, WEG has announced they will maintain the guaranteed early Pick-4 pool for the Mohawk summer meet that will also include Tuesday evening cards. The early Pick-4 pool on Saturdays will be guaranteed at C$75,000 beginning in race 4, with a C$50,000 guaranteed early Pick-4 pool on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday evenings. There will be no guaranteed Pick-4 wager on Sunday, May 22.

As for the Woodbine meet that concluded Monday evening, Murray said general numbers improved over a year ago. Total wagering on the 75-day season was up over 2 percent and average bet per race was up 19 percent over the 2010 Woodbine winter-spring campaign.

“It was a much stronger Woodbine meet than a year ago,” said Murray. “A four-night a week schedule through the winter versus five nights a year ago was more appealing to customers and assisted in keeping the quality of racing up. The Pick 4-has become the most popular Standardbred bet and the exposure our racing is receiving in the United States market is helping the overall numbers.”

The 98-day Mohawk meet will kick off Thursday with a 10-race program. Live racing will continue on Friday and Saturday with a first race post time of 7:10 p.m. There will be a special Sunday evening card of racing for Fireworks and Family Fun Night, which gets underway at 6:30 p.m.