BC Racebook Newsletter - December 6, 2023
Bailey on the Backstretch
by Bailey Williams
Trainer Kyle Chadwick totally endorses the theory that good luck never comes without a lot of hard work and dedication in the racing industry.
Kyle can be spotted early mornings at Fraser Downs after having worked an even earlier shift on the start gate at Hastings Racecourse when the thoroughbreds are training.
Harness racing fans didn’t have to look beyond the winner’s circle to spot Chadwick following the $100,000 Mary Murphy Memorial Stakes final for 3-year-old pacing fillies at Fraser Downs on Friday, November 24. That’s when Red N Ready upset reigning BC Breeders Stakes champion Side Piece in a photo finish. Side Piece, a 1-5 favourite, was nailed at the wire by Red N Ready, who went off at 8-1.
Now another product of the Chadwick barn is showing dominance and raw talent. Promising youngster Kootenay Cocoa is boasting a lifetime six-for-six record after winning with relative ease as a 1-9 favourite Thursday, November 30.
Be it hard work or luck or a combination of both, it is inspiring to see the smaller stables at Fraser Downs taking strong action.
Kelly MacMillan, president of Harness Racing BC
LOTS TO LOOK FORWARD TO IN 2024
IN THE EYES OF HARNESS RACING PRESIDENT
by Greg Douglas – Dr. Sport
Beneath that brown felt cowboy hat that has become Kelly MacMillan’s trademark is an optimistic mind that continually sees the glass half-full.
As the Fall season of standardbred racing at Fraser Downs nears completion with a closing date of Friday, December 15, in his capacity as president of Harness Racing BC, MacMillan dwells on the positives as he looks ahead to 2024.
“For openers, the race industry and its operators have agreed to 58 dates of standardbred racing on Thursday and Friday nights commencing in February,” MacMillan says. “That’s up from 56 this year. As soon as we have the final Gaming Policy and Enforcement Branch (GPEB) approval, the 2024 schedule will be released in its entirety.”
MacMillan, a long-time successful breeder at Surdale Farms in Kelowna, also points to the hiring of Dawn Lupul this past August as Manager of Racing and Communications at both Fraser Downs and Hastings Racecourse as a “super asset to horse racing in BC”.
“I believe Dawn will be an even more positive influence going forward than she has already been,” MacMillan says. Lupul’s career includes decades of experience as a breeder, owner and trainer in both the standardbred and thoroughbred industries.
MacMillan notes that Friday Night dinner specials at Fraser Downs this past year “have been wildly successful” and wagering handles both live and off-track hit new highs throughout the month of November.
Optimistic, yes. But a realist, as well. MacMillan readily admits much has changed on the racing landscape since the last financial agreement was penned over a decade ago and the industry continues to review its current situation with the government.
“A lot was accomplished in 2023,” he says, “but there is more work to do as we look forward to a successful 2024.”
