Evergreen Park - The Land of the Bush League

[Redbullsnation]

Just watching the race replays for Evergreen Park. It is such pure comedy. First of all, the graphics are prehistoric. I don't have any info but what race and date is. No split times, no clue who has the lead. But then, it's gets better. The announcers stuggle to put together a sentence much less call a race. One of the announcers is female I think and she is awful. She basically stopped calling a QUARTERHORSE race with 20 yards to go. God bless the people who run this place but this is hilarious. ..

[Track Collector]

This place is great. I went there sometime within the past 10 years.

They run both Harness and TB/QH meets.

The year I was there the main harness meet was over, put they were running 1-2 harness races before each of the TB/QH cards. I bet the #1 horse in the first (harness) race. He finished 4th. When they ran my ticket thru the machine it said I was the proud winner of $17.20. Turns out there was about $50 total in all the different wagering pools, and no one had wagered to win on any of the first 3 finishers.

This track takes a while to get to though. I recall it is something like 300 miles Northwest of Edmonton. And the sun does not set until sometime after 10:00 p.m.

Another interesting thing is that in one of the racing rooms they had winner's circle photos from races run 30+ years ago from other "tracks" in the area. Places like Peace River and Teepee Creek!!!

[RXB]

Never visited Evergreen Park but I grew up about a two-hour drive from Grande Prairie, across the provincial boundary in BC. If my memory is correct Kevin from Gapfire was even closer during his childhood. Grande Prairie has a population of maybe 60,000 and there isn't a larger city within 250 miles. Seems strange to start a thread just to take sarcastic rips at a little back-country racetrack that doesn't pretend to be anything more.

[RXB]

Originally Posted by Track Collector

This track takes a while to get to though. I recall it is something like 300 miles Northwest of Edmonton. And the sun does not set until sometime after 10:00 p.m.

Another interesting thing is that in one of the racing rooms they had winner's circle photos from races run 30+ years ago from other "tracks" in the area. Places like Peace River and Teepee Creek!!!

In late June the sun sets after 10:30 in Grande Prairie. Combination of being quite northerly and also being on the western edge of the Mountain Time Zone (it is actually on almost the identical longitude as Los Angeles).

I haven't been to Peace River since about 1980 but it was a neat town. Teepee Creek is just a little village, I've never been, my parents used to go to the stampede there.

[macguy]

This track is on my to-do list.

The British Columbia "B-Circuit" is basically now dead, with only Desert Park racing this year in Osoyoos.

The Alberta "B-Circuit" actually seems to be keeping its head above water, with it's three tracks running pretty much 3 cards a week.

Bush tracks like Evergreen Park are something different and fun, I always feel like they're a throw back to the early days of racing. Lots of the horses are owned and trained by the same person, there's no Lasix, and the purses are small.

Great way to spend an afternoon.

[RacingFan1992]

Originally Posted by macguy

This track is on my to-do list.

The British Columbia "B-Circuit" is basically now dead, with only Desert Park racing this year in Osoyoos.

The Alberta "B-Circuit" actually seems to be keeping its head above water, with it's three tracks running pretty much 3 cards a week.

Bush tracks like Evergreen Park are something different and fun, I always feel like they're a throw back to the early days of racing. Lots of the horses are owned and trained by the same person, there's no Lasix, and the purses are small.

Great way to spend an afternoon.

That is a rarity now a days.

[chenoa]

Century Downs isn't much better in Alberta. They won't show WPS totals on their screen and don't even have a toteboard at their racetrack. Handle is peanuts on Friday nights, they have a tough time doing $40,000.

[Track Collector]

Originally Posted by chenoa

Century Downs isn't much better in Alberta. They won't show WPS totals on their screen and don't even have a toteboard at their racetrack. Handle is peanuts on Friday nights, they have a tough time doing $40,000.

While it will not turn things into a blockbuster success, things should get measurably better in 2016 when they plan to start running Thoroughbreds.