$600,000 in purses on Industry Day at GRR

Centre Wellington, ON – On Monday August 2^nd, the 31^st annual Industry Day will welcome harness racing spectators back in full force as additional areas open at Grand River Raceway.

“With the movement into Step 3 of the Roadmap to Reopen Ontario and a few weeks of operating under the revised restrictions, we are happy to welcome additional spectators as we open the Backstretch Picnic area to guests on Industry Day.

Historically the largest day of the race season at Grand River Raceway, Industry Day, hosts two feature races, The Battle of the Belles and The Battle of Waterloo. With an Ontario Sires Stakes (OSS) undercard and over $600,000 in purse money it really is a day for those racing and spectators alike.

A special memorial race will be held in memory of Paul Walker, former President of the Grand River Agricultural Society.

So, what can you expect at Grand River Raceway on Industry Day?

The race card will include 11 races, with a post time of 12.30 pm, Guests will be welcomed from 11.30am onwards.

All guests looking to watch racing can enter from three different locations, The Casino entrance, The NEW GrandWay, or via the east side of the main building. Those looking to park and picnic on the Backstretch will be able to do so via the east side of the main building, noting that the only services available will be washrooms.

There will be a variety of indoor and outdoor spaces available. Masks must be worn inside of the building and we are not taking any reservations for seating at this time. We ask that guests practice social distancing in all areas.

There will be a variety of food options; the GrandWay Lounge and Bar will be serving pub food, take- out style which can be enjoyed anywhere onsite. An additional hotdog stand will be located on the GrandWay Patio. There will be a series of Food Trucks onsite, and Elements Casino will have a licenced bar open on the Tarmac (cash only).

Mutuel tellers will be onsite to take bets on the Tarmac, the Patio, in the GrandWay Lounge, and on the second floor of the Casino building. There will be self serve stations available in all of these locations and also in the Tarmac Tent. A reminder if you are coming to the track for the first time, all betting takes place in cash and there are ATM’s onsite.

Programs can be purchased from any of the Mutuel teller locations, the bar, each of the entrances, or downloaded free of charge at https://grandriverraceway.com/programs/.

Washroom access will be on the second floor of the main building, and in The GrandWay, portable facilities will be located on the Tarmac and the Backstretch Picnic area.

The Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame will be onsite selling Marjorie Simmins latest release, SomeBeachSomeWhere, the harness racing legend from a one-horse stable!

Canadian Ontario Standardbred Association will be broadcasting live from location, and Grand River’s Robert Reid Jr. will also be commentating live onsite.

Joanne Colville will be leading the post parade with a celebrity standardbred coming out of retirement to join us for the day.

The team at Grand River Raceway are certainly planning onsite experiences but a number of the regular activities such as The Neighbourhood won’t resume at this time.

“We are incredibly excited to celebrate Industry Day this year with guests back onsite! We certainly appreciate everyone’s patience and understanding as we navigate this new way of operating.” says Katie Giddy, Director of Hospitality, Sales and Marketing.

For those not able to join us in person you can still follow along, with live racing broadcast every race night by clicking here.

From Grand River Raceway