EDMONTON -- Horse racing will return to Century Mile this weekend, and the people in the industry are champing at the bit.
Two months after the usual start date for the racing season, the gates will open Sunday Viewers will only be able to watch online because of health restrictions.
“It’s going to be strange you’re used to hearing roar of the crowd cheering home,” said Matt Jukich, the racing manager at Century Mile. “Quiet, maybe better riders can hear the horses coming late.”
But horse owners are just happy to get them back on the track.
“The bills are piling up for the owners,” said Jukich. “We can finally do what these horses love to do.”
Julie Brewster is one of those owners. She’s glad that even though the season has started late, Century Mile allowed horses to keep training during the pandemic.
“The horses have to get back to racing. For the breeders who breed horses, it’s been a long spring because we didn’t know what was going to happen, and for the owners who have been paying the training bills since January or February,” she said.
But there’s a shortage of jockeys. Only 15 have been able to return because of quarantines still in place in the Caribbean.
Edmonton’s Rico Walcott is one of the returning jockeys.
“We’re sitting on the couch, watching others on the racetracks in the U.S. and Winnipeg, and we’re on the sideline watching from the couch,” he said.
Horses will line up at the starting gate at 5:15 p.m.
With files from CTV News Edmonton's Dave Mitchell
