Over a century after it opened, Hastings Racecourse is closed this spring

By GUILHERME MÜLLER

Gary Johnson is still fighting to bring horse racing back to Vancouver. His horses, however, are in Edmonton.

This spring, for the first time in 133 years, there are no horses at Hastings Racecourse. The stables are empty and the track is silent during what would normally be the start of the racing season, which typically runs from April to October.

The provincial government announced on Nov. 27, 2025, that it would no longer share slot machine revenue with the horse racing industry, ending a funding model in place for more than 20 years. One week later, Great Canadian Entertainment, the track operator, shut down racing effective immediately. The industry had no warning.

“They asked us for a budget, we reduced our ask, and then on Nov. 27 we got told that not only were they not going to give us any additional money, they were cutting out all slot income as well,” said Johnson, vice-president of the Horsemen’s Benevolent and Protective Association of B.C. “We were in absolute shock.”

The government justified the cut by citing declining attendance and falling revenues, but Johnson disputes that.

“The government was fed a bunch of misinformation about declining attendance,” he said. “Attendance was going up. Betting per race was going up.” 

Johnson said he is in discussions with the City of Vancouver about leasing facilities at Hastings Park for a 10-day race meet in September or October. He is not ready to call it the end.

“If we have to move from Hastings Park, I think we would find a place to race in the future,” said Johnson, whose horses are now training in Edmonton.
Denise Praill, a longtime horse-racing fan, said the loss extends far beyond the track itself.

“It just has been so cruel that the doors have been closed,” Praill said. “We had no warning this was happening.” 

The closure directly affected more than 300 workers at Hastings and an estimated 1,500 across the province. 

“Every horse represents a full-time job or a job and a half,” Praill said. “We have very skilled workers from veterinarians, vet techs to our race officials, right down to really low skilled work. 

“If you can move a broom, you can work at the racetrack, and you can earn a living.”

Praill said she and about a dozen regulars still gather every Saturday at Jerome’s, a race book at the base of the Hastings grandstand, to watch races broadcast from tracks across North America.

“People will keep showing up on Saturdays and hope for the best for the industry.”

For some, who saw the writing on the wall, staying was not an option. 

Tara Neigel, a horse trainer and former Horsemen’s association board member, left Vancouver for Toronto two years ago, before the closure was announced.

“I love BC. I love Vancouver, and I had to move over to Toronto if I wanted to stay in an industry that I’m passionate about,” Neigel said. “They just slowly took it down so they could say, oh, this is not a viable industry. But they made it that way.”

She now works at Woodbine Racetrack in Ontario, where government grants and infrastructure investment keep the sport running. She has not given up on home.

“If they could ever have a viable industry again, I would come back in a heartbeat,” she said.