An inside look at Century Downs Racetrack and Casino
By Lexus Rae, June 26, 2026—
Just outside of Calgary, in Rocky View County, lies the Century Downs Racetrack and Casino, which hosts tons of live standardbred and thoroughbred harness racing from April through to October. Let’s take a closer look at why this is a must-visit spot within the Calgary area.
Standardbred and thoroughbred racing from the 1970s through to the mid 2000s took place at Stampede Park, until it sadly shut down in 2008. Century Downs Racetrack opened, 2015, marking a joyous milestone for the racing community.
“There are a lot of people, a lot of moving parts that goes into running this place.It supports a lot of families,” said marketing coordinator Kaitlin Curran.
Rob Hennessy, a finalist in the Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame, trains many of his horses at Century Downs Racetrack. Hennessy trains Shark Week, one of the fastest horses in all of Western Canada and the first harness horse to pace under 1:50 in the region.
“[Shark Week] races in our top class, it’s called the preferred […] He’s a track record holder here, so no one’s gone faster than him,” said Josh Murphy, the assistant race manager.
Century Downs Racetrack hosts events most weekends during the spring and summer months. Admission and parking for these events are free Programs are #2 providing more information on the horses that are competing that day, and minimum bets for most racers start at $2
“So you can take $25 and enjoy the entire afternoon. It’s pretty cool,” said Curran.
The track also shows major horse races from around the world for anyone to come and watch. On the first weekend of May, they will show the Kentucky Derby, one of the biggest thoroughbred horse races of the year. But that isn’t all! They also host Chihuahua races on this day just for the fun of it.
The dog races are held throughout the season to draw crowds out to the track. The schedule includes Chihuahuas in May, Corgis in July and Dachshunds in August.
There are tons of exciting events to attend in the upcoming months, including,
- Canada Day Celebration, June 30
- Ladies in Racing Weekend, July 10-11
- Midsummer Classic, Aug. 1
- CTH Sales Stakes, Student Day and Oktoberfest, Oct. 3
For a look at all of the events happening this season and more information visit their website.