The Rideau Carleton Raceway will close its racing operations as of the 2026 season, ending 64 years of harness racing in the capital.
Hard Rock Hotel and Casino Ottawa and Ontario Racing announced the move last week after “extensive discussions” about the venue’s future.
“We made significant investments in racing infrastructure and adjusted our operations multiple times over the last three years; however, a sustainable path forward was not possible,” Christine Crump, president of Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Ottawa, said in a news release.
The raceway has invested millions of dollars to improve its operations in recent years, but Crump said consumer preferences have changed.
“This is a sad time for our team members, the horse racing community and all those directly impacted. Racing at Rideau Carleton Raceway will always be remembered as an important chapter in the site’s history,” she said in the release.
Hard Rock added that all employees that are directly affected by this decision are being offered “alternative employment opportunities within the organization, along with any necessary skills training to support career transitions.”
Andrew Gaughan, independent chair of Ontario Racing, said the organization encourages local horsepeople to continue racing at any of the remaining 11 racetracks in the province.
“To help ease this transition, a portion of the funding traditionally provided to Rideau Carleton Raceway will be used to establish a relocation support program, while the balance of funding will go back into purses for live horse racing at other Ontario Standardbred racetracks,” Gaughan said in a release.
“We are thankful to OLG and the Ministry of Tourism, Culture, and Gaming for the long-term financial support provided to Rideau Carleton Raceway and Ontario’s entire breeding and horse racing industry.”
The Rideau Carleton Raceway has hosted some of the province’s most prestigious harness races since opening in 1962.
Hard Rock Hotel and Casino Ottawa, which opened its $350-million hotel and casino resort last July, has operated three race seasons under its sole ownership.
The project to take over the Rideau Carleton Casino and develop Hard Rock’s entertainment complex was first announced in May 2017, but the pandemic delayed construction, which started in June 2023.
