Northlands Race Regulation Bodies
The Western Canadian Racing Association (WCRA) was created as a
regulatory body in 1957, during the same year as the Canadian Derby saw
its first races in Edmonton. From a brick building on the Exhibition
grounds, the WCRA met its primary obligations by setting rules and
addressing certain divisions in the racing community.
The organization’s duties were soon expanded to include the provision
of breeding advice, and control over race dates across the Western
Canadian circuit. This circuit, including Calgary, Edmonton, Regina,
Saskatoon, and Winnipeg, was then introduced to morning racing and other
innovations through their membership. Rule from afar was not for
everyone, though; the Association had its detractions.
Certain rules that governed the racing of two-year-olds, as opposed
to waiting until they were three, touched off controversy. Eventually, the WCRA
chose to withdrawing from the Prairie Thoroughbred Racing
Association. That group nonetheless supported and oversaw the innovative use of
new tests among the animals.
The WCRA regulatory body was eventually supplanted by the Alberta
Racing Corporation, which itself was replaced by Horse Racing Alberta (HRA)
in 2002. Like its predecessors, HRA has a licensing office on the
Northlands grounds.
This organization is committed primarily to ensuring races are run
fairly and judged equitably. Official duties also extend into exacting
penalties against rule-breakers, and into breeding protocols.
Further, HRA has been given the task of reinvigorating the racing
industry in Alberta by championing the need for greater participatory
benefits for all parties including breeders, who are themselves of
dwindling stock.
With offices both in Edmonton and Calgary, the HRA keeps tabs on the
action. Along with a variety of breeders’ associations and other
regulatory bodies, this organization is working with tracks like
Northlands to keep racing alive.
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