Standardbred Canada is pleased to announce that the 2017 World Trotting Conference will be held in Charlottetown, P.E.I. from August 13-20, 2017.
The event, which is held every two years, will coincide with the 250th Anniversary of horse racing in Canada, and the Island’s Old Home Week. It will also mark the 25th edition of the World Trotting Conference (WTC), an event that was inaugurated in 1969 in the United States. The WTC has become an opportunity for an exchange of information between the 18 countries where harness racing is conducted. The 2015 World Trotting Conference & World Driving Championship was hosted in Australia this past March.
Attended by delegates from around the globe, the 2017 World Trotting Conference will be held at the Delta Prince Edward & PEI Convention Centre, Charlottetown, P.E.I., and is made possible in part by generous support from the Government of Prince Edward Island.
"Harness racing has a long tradition of excellence in Prince Edward Island and contributes to our province's economy in many different ways," said Finance Minister Allen Roach, minister responsible for harness racing. "Being chosen to host these historic events shows the growing influence of our Island harness racing industry around the world."
In addition, P.E.I. will also be the location for the final stop of the 2017 World Driving Championship (WDC) as 11 drivers from around the world will compete in the fifth leg at Red Shores Racetrack & Casino at Charlottetown Driving Park on Friday, August 18, 2017. The dates and locations of the other legs will be announced at a later date.
"Standardbred Canada appreciates the support of our many industry partners, and in particular that of the Province of Prince Edward Island, in bringing this great event to Canada," said Kent Oakes, Chair of the Board of Directors.
Canada has previously hosted the World Trotting Conference and World Driving Championship in 1973, 1989 and most recently in 2003; that year, the WTC was held in Toronto, Ont. and Charlottetown Driving Park also hosted one of the WDC legs. Canadian drivers have won the World Driving Championship on four occasions -- Herve Filion (1970), Sylvain Filion (1999), Jody Jamieson (2001, 2011) -- but a Canadian driver has never won on home soil.
Standardbred Canada will release more information about the 2017 World Trotting Conference and World Driving Championship as it becomes available.
