London’s popular half-mile track will open its meet on Oct. 1 after a complete overhaul of the track surface. Also, the Homestretch Bar will reopen and a large infield video board is also on the way.

by Matthew Lomon 

When The Raceway at Western Fair District concluded its successful spring meet on May 31, those in charge of London, ON’s cherished half-mile oval wasted no time shifting gears to the return of live racing on Oct. 1.

With just 123 days between the spring and fall seasons, and several ambitious projects on the docket — including a complete resurfacing of the track itself — time was of the essence.

But as Greg Blanchard, director of equine programming at Western Fair reminded, it will all be worth it come opening night.

“It was something that was a little bit overdue,” said Blanchard. “We teamed up with a local construction company and had some consultation to go along with that.

“Everything went smoothly and on schedule. It’s been completed and we expect good things when we return in the fall.”

Alongside cleaner turns, sharper straightaways and an overall uptick in class, Blanchard said the track’s rejuvenation will be particularly valuable as the temperature begins to drop.

“Digging down into the base and redoing that portion of the track gives us better drainage, which should help us through the winter months,” said Blanchard. “That should give us a more consistent racing surface to maintain.

“We’ve got an amazing track crew here, and you have to be one of the best in the business to deal with the type of surface we have and the weather conditions that we deal with.”

While horses and horsepeople are enjoying the new playing surface, fans will have access to another view of the action courtesy of a brand-new videoboard coming to the infield.

The single, larger screen will replace the existing dual monitor setup that Blanchard said had been in place for a little over 10 years.

“We’re hoping it’ll be ready for the start of racing, but if not, it should be ready very early into the season,” said Blanchard. “And we’ll be able to move it in and replace the existing videoboards that we have.

“It serves as an additional viewing option for folks that are outside or up in the restaurant watching. But it also serves as our big tote board as well. It’s a very important thing, especially for that on track experience, and for folks that are wanting to watch in person.”

For all the major upgrades happening inside the field of play, it is the long-awaited reopening of a fan favorite hangout that has Blanchard and company teeming with anticipation.

During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, Western Fair’s first floor space, which features the site’s renowned Homestretch Bar, was converted into London’s primary vaccination center.

Beginning this fall, it will once again be open to customers.

“We’re really looking forward to that,” said Blanchard, who praised Western Fair’s patrons for their patience. “That might be the most exciting thing for us, frankly.”

Blanchard also noted that the Western Fair team used the summer to make some “cosmetic changes” on the first floor.

“Our old simulcast area that had individual betting carrels was a dark, sort of private space,” said Blanchard. “It’s a brighter, more open space now. Everything’s going to be really inviting — we’ll have our new flat screen TVs and video wall in that setup down there — I think it’ll be a more welcoming space than it was previously.

“But at the end of the day, I think customers are just going to be happy to have their traditional main floor racing area back and accessible for the upcoming season.”

With the return of the first floor, guests will be able to enter through the main lobby and have easy access to the grandstand and patio.

Blanchard did indicate, however, that an update to the patio may seep over into the start of the season.

“We have a plan in place to demolish the old concrete patio pad that was out there,” said Blanchard. “We’re going to be repaving a portion of that area, and that will also clean up that space and provide more room out in the outdoor patio area.

“There could be some minor disruption there during the first week, but once everything’s completed, we feel very optimistic about the upcoming season.”

As far as what fans can expect from Western Fair’s live racing product, which is scheduled for each Monday, Tuesday, and Friday at 5:50 p.m. (see website for holiday-related scheduling), major events include the Ontario Sires Stakes Prospect Series finals on Oct. 11, the 19th edition of Harness the Hope on Oct. 18, and the Drivers Holiday Challenge on Dec. 10.

In between the on-track festivities is the third edition of the London Classic Yearling Sale. Viewing begins on Oct. 14 at 10 a.m., with the sale running Oct. 15 and 16 at noon.

“It’s become a very critical part of what we do here at Western Fair as it pertains to the horse racing industry,” said Blanchard. “We’ve got what we think is our sweet spot in terms of numbers for this year’s event. We have 262 cataloged for the sale, and that’s about the perfect number for our indoor space.”

Blanchard added that this year’s crop, which features yearlings from a pair of tantalizing new sires, will be defined as “quality over quantity.”

“We’re tremendously excited to see the first crop of Bulldog Hanover and the first Ontario crop of Cattlewash; we have several by him,” he said. “And then when you see what a trotting sire like Green Manalishi [S] has done this summer, it’ll be very interesting to see how his crop sells this fall.

“Plus, we’ve already got so many great established Ontario stallions and world class consigners here in the area — so many that can breed horses that can compete anywhere in the world — it’s something we’re very proud of.”

This year’s running of the sale is especially meaningful for Western Fair, as it will be directly tied to the Southwestern Ontario track’s beloved City of London Series.

Not only will Western Fair’s long-standing staple return in the spring under a new moniker (London Classic Sales Series), but a portion of the gross revenue from the sale will also be used to support the local series.

“The sale will bolster those events,” said Blanchard. “We’ll have guaranteed finals going for $40,000 this year, which is a nice bump [from last season’s finals that ranged from $23,000-30,000]. We’re thrilled about that, and just happy to have the yearling sale supporting the local industry and vice versa.”

Everything on Western Fair’s plate, present and future, is approached with a forward-thinking mindset, paired with the goal of providing a premium racing product for its loyal fanbase.

“Everything should support what we’re doing,” said Blanchard. “That’s our goal. We want a good racing product here to support the sale. We want the sale conversely, to be supporting the local racing product. It’s about keeping the cycle moving.”