Harness horse racing held at the Leamington Fairgrounds. (Photo by Ricardo Veneza)Harness horse racing held at the Leamington Fairgrounds. (Photo by Ricardo Veneza)
Chatham

Horse Racing Exceeding Expectations

So far so good for horse racing at the Leamington fairgrounds this year.

Tom Bain with the Lakeshore Horse Raceway Association says they're seeing better crowds and better betting than expected.

"We had set a goal of $15,000 to $20,000 [per race day]. We exceeded the $20,000 mark the first two Sundays and the last two Sundays have almost reached $30,000," says Bain.

The success so far has helped the group to shrug off much of the concern it had when the late summer-early fall dates were initially announced.

"Having these summer dates has allowed us to really build up those fan numbers and get the people coming back," says Bain. "Certainly, we're not as worried as we were."

Racing at the Leamington fairgrounds wraps at the end of October.

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