The Woodbine Entertainment Group recently announced that it will be investing $10 million to renovate Mohawk Racetrack in order to host year-round Standardbred racing at the Campbellville, Ont. facility. The industry is looking to the future with the news, but, at the same time, it is always important to know one’s past.
A recent piece by Inside Halton takes a look at Mohawk’s history – from a freshly built five-eighths-mile track with scores of on-track fans, to a world-class, seven-eighths-mile course which showcased the best the sport had to offer during the Slots at Racetracks Program era.
“It was electrifying for fans to be right down there by the track,” Ron Waples Sr. said, in reference to Mohawk opening back in the early ‘60s. “I think they really enjoyed it.”
‘The Hawk’ has seen it all as the decades have gone by. Having hosted live racing at the picturesque raceway for more than 50 years, Mohawk Racetrack has seen the highs of highs and the lows of lows. The track hosted 11,470 fans during a card in the spring of 1970. Sixty-nine horses perished in a tragic barn fire in 1992. Mohawk handled more than $5.2-million in wagers during a single card last year. Countless iconic Standardbreds have helped stamp their storied careers at the raceway.
“It’s a world-class racetrack,” Ben Wallace told Inside Halton. “Ontario horsepeople will tell you we have the best spot in the world to race.”
To read the Inside Halton piece, click here.
(With files from Inside Halton)