The Raceway at Western Fair is pumped up for the new season

by Matthew Lomon

In the horse business, the term “offseason” can be a little misleading, as the time between the season that was and the season ahead is filled with plenty to keep busy.

That rang especially true for the folks at The Raceway at Western Fair, who, after closing the books on the half-mile oval’s Spring meet on May 29, wasted little time preparing for the return of live harness racing on Friday (Oct. 2).

“Our team had a good off-season, but it goes by quickly,” said Greg Blanchard, director of equine programming at Western Fair District.

“You’re trying to find a little time off in the summer, but in the meantime, you’re cleaning up things from the past season while starting to look ahead and get some planning done in preparation for the next season.”

The lengthy offseason to-do list included tackling various capital projects, maintaining the Western Fair Association’s Dorchester Downs Training Centre, and coordinating the upcoming London Classic Yearling Sale, running Oct. 13-14 with viewing beginning on Oct. 12.

“We certainly don’t pack up our bags and go away for two months,” Blanchard said. “We want our team to enjoy their summer, get some time off, and recharge the batteries, but it’s always exciting when the racing season is on the horizon.”

Anticipation is especially high ahead of Western Fair’s 2026-27 campaign, as the track, like its peers around the province, will experience significant purse increases as part of the recent Ontario Government-supported initiative that saw the province’s standardbred industry receive more than $14 million in funding from Ontario Racing.

Blanchard envisions the investment having the same immediate impact at Western Fair that it had elsewhere.

“Since that announcement came earlier this summer, I think we’ve seen the impact on horse supply at various tracks,” he said. “Field size looks like it’s been a lot stronger, and there’s a little bit of a gap in the signature racing for a two- or three-week period before we start, so I think demand at the entry box is going to be very high when we return.”

With the increase of approximately 42 per cent (roughly $7,000 to $10,000) on overnight purses at the signature level, daily purses are projected to average more than $100,000 this season at Western Fair.

“It’s been long overdue for our horsepeople,” Blanchard said. “They’ve had to deal with a flat purse structure here for more than a decade while the cost of everything has gone up. It was fantastic news; it adds a whole level of optimism and gives our team and our horsepeople a big boost going into the season.”

The London, ON oval has seen a notable increase in inquiries for stalls at Dorchester Downs following the announcement.

“That’s a sign to me, and I think the purses will create a climate where you’ll see more people perhaps buying horses and bringing them to Ontario, and fewer horses being sold and moving on to other jurisdictions as we’ve seen a lot over the last 10 years,” Blanchard said.

In addition, Western Fair’s two signature races — the Camluck Classic invitational pace and the So Much More (formerly the Forest City Pace) — will feature bolstered purses this season.

The Grade 3 Camluck Classic will rise from $150,000 to $200,000, while the So Much More will double from $50,000 to $100,000.

Strengthening the track’s flagship events has been top of mind for some time.

“That’s something we wanted to do, certainly with the So Much More,” Blanchard said. “We’ve been wanting to give that a bump — $50,000 is a nice purse, but for the quality of mares that we’ve been able to attract, we felt that a purse increase was warranted, and this was the right time to do that.

“The Camluck as well, it’s been $150,000 for a long time. With today’s climate, believe it or not, $150,000 needed a little bump, too. I think that added $50,000 will do a lot for attracting some of those top-quality horses that we maybe haven’t been able to get the last couple of years.

“They’re obviously our signature races, but they’ve become important races on the calendar for older mares and older pacing horses. I think those purses are justified, and I’m happy that we were able to do it in concert with an overall purse increase in our program.”

The potential influence on this and future London Select Yearling Sales is not lost on Blanchard, either.

“A stronger overnight program in the province is going to give buyers that much more confidence coming to the sale to buy Ontario-sired horses because we know they can compete with the best in the world — they’ve proven that year in, year out,” he said.

“I think it’s just going to get better here going forward. It was really good news for the entire industry, and I expect that to have a positive impact on this year’s sale. Not to mention, we have a really exciting catalog. One of the best, if not the best, we’ve offered to date.”

Horseplayers should also feel the trickle-down effect of more lucrative purses, with greater opportunities for full and competitive fields.

In response, Western Fair revamped its wagering menu with enhancements to its Pick-3 offerings.

Beginning opening night, the minimum wager on both the early and late Pick-3 will increase from $0.20 to $2. The late Pick-3 has also been rebranded as “The Closer,” featuring a $2,000 guaranteed pool every race night.

“Horseplayers are looking for value, they’re looking for opportunities, and as soon as we announced it, we heard from some core horseplayers, and they thought it was great,” Blanchard said. “They’re looking forward to it, which was nice to hear.”

When the fall season kicks off Friday, the on-track product will receive an additional boost from competitive battles for top driving and training honors.

Austin Sorrie enters atop the driver standings with 109 wins, followed closely by Garret Rooney (103) and rising star Brady Galliers, who recorded 88 victories across the spring meet.

“We’ve been a great feeder track, as many became a top driver here before maybe moving on to become stars at Mohawk,” Blanchard said. “That leaves opportunity for new guys. It remains a really deep and balanced driver colony and that’s a big part of why our racing remains so competitive and entertaining.”

The battle for top conditioner status is equally compelling, with veteran horseman Gerard Demers pacing the field with 39 wins. Cameron McQueen (31) and Jodie Cullen (29) are both within striking distance.

“There’s a lot of parity on the trainer side, which is something that’s exciting, good for horseplayers, and will make for a fun first three months of the season,” Blanchard said.

As far as festivities, fans can expect the return of several local favorites, including the 21st edition of Harness the Hope, twice monthly editions of the Trifecta Tuesday promotion, and the seventh annual Drivers’ Holiday Challenge in support of Toys for Tots, taking place Dec. 8.

The facility itself has benefited from an array of cosmetic upgrades, headlined by the newly minted Wall of Champions display.

“We were able to upgrade our main lobby with a couple of murals on our walls that pay homage to the history of the track, including a new Wall of Champions, which allows guests to revisit the winners of our signature races over the years, as well as the different iterations and sponsors over that time,” Blanchard said.

Western Fair’s outdoor viewing experience also received a jolt, courtesy of new picnic tables and patio heaters.

“We’re trying every year to keep enhancing the facility and elevate the fan experience,” Blanchard said. “We’re always working toward that, and we’re happy that we’ve been able to make some of those changes coming into the season.”

As a new era at Western Fair sets in, the Raceway remains focused on strengthening its ties to the community it serves.

“Western Fair Association’s purpose is to be the heartbeat of the community in a variety of ways,” Blanchard said. “From the racing perspective, it’s the same thing — anything we can do to involve our local and regional community in a night of racing and support the various groups and organizations that make London such a great place, we want to do that.”