Horse racing will be back at Evergreen Park this summer, but the stands will have to remain empty. The races at JDA Raceway will once again run in July and August, however, watching and betting will happen off track.
“We are very excited to have horse racing back in Alberta because it truly does give so much back to the Alberta economy, and so many other areas other than having people come and watch at the track,” says Evergreen Park General Manager Dan Gorman.
“People can online bet [and watch] on a couple of different platforms, and we will have those up on our website sometime next week,” he adds.
Gorman says there will be 15 race dates, with the majority of the events taking place on Saturdays and Sundays. The first race day is expected to take place on July 11, with the season finishing up on August 23.
As far as the Evergreen Park casino goes, Gorman says, despite the second phase of the economic relaunch being moved up to June 12th, they continue to aim for a reopening date of June 19th. Gorman says there are just a few logistical matters that need to get dealt with prior to re-opening.
“The money needs to be looked after, the machines all brought up to speed, there are just a few more things to do, and we want to be all ready to go next Friday, and we will be.”
Gorman adds the facility’s meal delivery service remains operating through a takeout basis only. However, both the family and casino restaurants are open for sit down meals, with all Alberta Health Services guidelines in place, including proper distancing between tables.