The opening of Century Mile in Edmonton means much more than just a new racetrack for horse crazy Alberta.
For more than a decade the word ‘stability’ didn’t exist in any lexicon or sentence pertaining to horse racing in Alberta. Instead, horse racing in that province was a flimsy house of cards teetering in a stiff breeze.
First, Calgary’s Stampede Park ceased racing in 2008. Then, last fall, Northlands Park in Edmonton — after 116 consecutive years of racing — shuttered its doors, too.