Christine Fairhall’s family legacy will make her a ‘grand’ raceway manager
The granddaughter of the legendary Keith Waples takes the reins at the Elora, ON track.
by Matthew Lomon
Grand River Raceway’s new raceway manager, Christine Fairhall, has lived, breathed, and embraced harness racing from just about every angle imaginable.
Growing up in a racing family — one founded by her grandfather, the legendary Keith Waples, and carried on by her parents Maurice and Karen Hauver — it was hard not to.
Although, as Fairhall recalled, her teenage self may have needed some extra convincing early on.
“When I was 16 and able to legally work, I started in the concessions at Hanover [Raceway],” she said. “We used to spend summers in Quebec because that’s where my dad was racing, but that was supposed to be my first summer without having to go since I had a job. That said, I may have been a teenager, doing teenager things, and my mom decided I should go back to Quebec.
“When I came back the next year, I got a job in the mutuels department. At the time, it didn’t feel like the best thing to happen to me, but in the end, it probably was – I loved it.”
Enamored by the wave-like blitz of a 1994 mutuels station line, Fairhall’s second go-round at Hanover provided the spark that has since sustained her now three-decades-long connection to the sport her family has thrived in for generations.
While it was not until the early 2000s that she landed her first full-time role in racing — a position in the simulcast department at Hanover — Fairhall wasted no time developing a well-rounded resume.
Across her 32 years in the industry, Fairhall’s vast experience includes concessions, trophy creation, timing, photo-finish, new player event organizing, as well as pari-mutuel and tote/race day operations.
She is eager to bring her patron-first mindset to her new role at Grand River.
“Most of my jobs, with and outside of the tracks, have been in customer service, and more recently, they’ve been in management-level roles,” she said. “I’m hoping that experience will flow over into this new position.
“I feel, and I’ve been told, that I communicate with people and work through situations well. Hopefully, that experience will help with being raceway manager at Grand River.”
It is through a collaborative approach that Fairhall hopes to deliver a premium event experience.
“I try to take suggestions and people’s needs into consideration as best I can,” she said. “Communicating directly with people — and the general public — gives me a want to take Grand River to the next level and ensure it stays a place people want to go and spend their entertainment dollars.”
Fairhall, who joined the Elora, ON raceway over a decade ago, has not only seen but contributed first hand to Grand River’s year-over-year success as a premier racing destination in southwest Ontario.
Her familiarity with the facility, and most importantly its people, has made the transition into a managerial position feel almost seamless.
“It’s going well so far,” she said. “I’ve been part of the Grand River team for 11 years or so, so I know most of the people and they know me. That makes it a little easier to settle in, but everybody has been really welcoming.”
As for what excites Fairhall most about assuming a leadership role, she said: “Hopefully, being able to be part of meaningful additions and a good team. I feel Grand River’s a great place, the people are supportive of each other, and I think for me to take on a managerial role, Grand River’s a good place to do that.”
Under her guide, Fairhall doesn’t expect to see many changes ahead of Grand River’s opening day card on June 3.
What she does anticipate, however, is a broadening of some of the track’s existing offerings.
“We have sponsorship this year from COSA [Central Ontario Standardbred Association] to undergo an expansion on the NEIGHbourhood kids’ area, so we will do that,” she said.
And as Fairhall sees it, the dedicated kid-friendly space is not just for the next generation of racing fans.
“We’re trying to bring the adults in, too,” she said. “We already have the virtual reality racing equipment on site, and that’s been a big draw for us. I’ve worked with the Bill Galvin Racing Alliance and their VR setup when they started roaming around to different places, and honestly, some adults have just as much, if not more fun than the kids do.”
Several staples will also be returning this year, including the fan-favorite wiener dog races and Grand River’s hallmark event, Industry Day, which comes back Aug. 3 to feature The Battle of Waterloo and Battle of the Belles.
Throughout the 42-race date season, set at a three-night-per-week pace (Monday-Wednesday-Friday), on-track atmosphere will remain a point of emphasis for Fairhall and company.
“Hopefully, we’ll have something to do with the live offering, whether it’s watch parties for local horses that are doing well in the industry or other themes,” she said. “We have patio parties during the live season to bring people in and promote ownership.”
Grand River’s patio parties, as Fairhall added, have a way of strengthening personal connections to the sport, its people, and its equine athletes.
“Even for me, with our family’s horse – Karma Seelster doing well a couple years ago, we would have watch parties for her when getting to the track wasn’t possible,” Fairhall said. “It was just that much more exciting for people knowing someone who had a direct connection. So, maybe it’s not always about ownership, but getting people excited… I can watch the big football or soccer games with all the professionals, but sometimes it’s more exciting watching someone you know playing and being involved.”
Having a place for current and future racing fans to make new memories is a significant part of what Fairhall hopes to achieve during her tenure as raceway manager.
To get there, she will rely on the values that her parents instilled in her well before she embarked on a career in racing.
“Both my parents were very dedicated to what they did, so much so that we even had childhood birthday parties at the track,” she said. “My dad is very adamant that your workspace is clean and organized – he probably had one of the cleaner stables I’ve ever been to in my life.
“They both did their best to preach good work ethic and respect for the people you work for, the people you work with, the horses that drive our sport, and the industry itself.”
With the season still about one month away, there is plenty on Fairhall’s mind as she gears up for her first year steering the Grand River ship.
For one, she’d be delighted by an increase in handle, and will pursue that with her team to the best of their abilities.
But as Fairhall noted, success isn’t merely defined by a number – it’s also something you can feel.
“For me, the year [will be] a success if the horsepeople, judges and everybody leaving still has a positive attitude and feeling like Grand River is doing their best to provide a safe, enjoyable, good place to race their horses, run their business or spend their time,” she said.
The 2026 racing season at Grand River Raceway kicks off Wednesday (June 3). First race post is 6:20 p.m.
