'Unbelievable': Vancouver's 133-year-old Hastings Racecourse to cease live horse racing, sparking outrage

'Unbelievable': Vancouver's 133-year-old Hastings Racecourse to cease live horse racing, sparking outrage

A 133-year-old staple of British Columbia’s horse racing and agricultural community is facing an abrupt end, and some in the industry say the impact will be immediately felt. Great Canadian Entertainment announced it will discontinue live horse racing operations at Vancouver’s Hastings Racecourse after the province announced it would terminate the slot-machine revenue stream that has supported B.C.’s racing sector for two decades. The funding, w…

Timeline: Hastings closes with history of politics ... and horses

There was an odd juxtaposition of celebration and melancholy Friday in Vancouver. Just before lunch, the 48-team draw was completed in Washington D.C. for soccer’s World Cup being held in Canada, Mexico and the U.S. next summer. BC Place in Vancouver is one of the 16 host stadiums. Right after lunch, Great Canadian Entertainment quietly announced in a written statement that it would not run horses anymore at Hastings Racecourse. The track, the o…