Originally Posted by zztim81
My Family is directly involved with with Chuckwagon racing and horse racing Alberta, Dad is a recently retired driver, still a TB trainer for many B circuit track horses. Sister is a Equine high performance Vet, Both professional wagon associations that have drivers invited to CS Rangeland Derby are on life support, costs are higher than ever, sponsorship (outside of CS Tarps) is so hard to come by that most shows no longer host tarp auctions, and drivers are beating the bushes to sell themselves. Show money and prize money does only cover costs again for a small number of drivers. The current model for the sport is not sustainable, and one association the WCA already closed down a few years ago, with a second association the CPCA not even having their 2026 show schedule finalized at the end of march.
Add on to that pressure from public misconceptions around livestock welfare to get rid of the races, and with the CS cherry picking drivers to participate for the 10 days of stampede its not a even playing field if your a young guy coming up or someone without a name pedigree like Southerland, Glass, Bensmiller. So, as iconic as the Rangeland Derby is to the Stampede, it might not be around in say 10 years.. what does that leave you doing with the track and valuable real estate then? As cool as Indian Relay looks, its never going to replace the revenue drawn from 10 nights of wagon racing.
Horse racing Alberta has already moved on from the Stampede grounds with Century Downs in Balzac, and there is no other need for the rest of the year.
Ok, so regarding can you do both, yes! on the Animal welfare and safety side it is way easier to haul sifted sand/loam into a climate controlled enclosed arena and pack it safely down to host rodeo events over a base cement floor, then clean it out, re-lay the ice your good to go. For wagon racing you cant have the same construction system for an infield track setup because of the rain and drainage issues, so engineer it in reverse, (track first field on top) pack the infield area, lay a rollable flat water barrier, then playing surface, turf on top. i doubt you could cost effectively have a high end soccer event with real grass, but football field no problem. It is really like the conversion for a outdoor hockey game more more streamlined on site, with better seating and sightlines.
This really isn't a bad idea, yes the main grandstand is getting old at the track, but they have a new infield stand being built right now, and it makes a lot of sense.
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