The 2017 The Horses At Evergreen Park season ended with purple Frisbees being tossed at a purple tractor tire on August 27, but things also came to an end with lots of smiles.
Mr. Mike’s Paint The Park Purple – Race For The Cure was the final event after 22 days and eight weekends of racing at Gordon Badger Stadium and the smiling was done by more than just the winner of the Frisbee toss.
The entire season was a success – good crowds and an increased handle.
The only downer was the fact one day of racing had to be cancelled because of a smoke hazard caused by the forest fires in British Columbia. For the most part, all of the other races were held under sunny skies and warm weather conditions.
Highlight of the season was the Alberta Derby at Evergreen Park, held on Sunday, Aug. 30. That event drew the largest crowd in two years following a rainy 2016 Derby Day.
The fact that over 350 horses ventured to Evergreen Park for the season was also a plus. Pretty much every night at least five and for the most part six, seven or eight horses left the starting gate for each race. And there were plenty of races with the minimum being six topping out at 10. One weekend there were 25 races over the three days.
The 2017 Mr. Mike’s Paint The Park Purple Stakes was won by Beach Premier. Jockey Larry Munoz was on board. The horse is trained by Floyd Arthur and owned by Excel Farms.
Blandford Stewart ended up the top jockey when the dust had settled at the end of the season and Lyle Magnuson was the top trainer.
Another success at the Park was the first Evergreen Park Racing club 2017. Over 100 people signed up to be “owners” and three times they got to make an appearance in the winner’s circle – twice with Red N Black Attack and once with Extreme Spell. A horse the Club had purchased, Command The Land, also won a race at Northlands Park in Edmonton. In that race he was claimed so the Club lost him, but members still enjoyed following the horse as he ran all summer in Edmonton.
The Club horses have been sold and could make appearances at Edmonton or Lethbridge in the fall.
The 2017 version of the Club will be dissolved soon with owners receiving their share of any profits and Evergreen Park Racing Club 2018 will created and, no doubt, looking forward to The Horses At Evergreen Park next season.
Local racing fans can continue to watch, and wager, on the horses at the Pines Restaurant & Casino. There are 11 screens and two self-bettors in the facility.
