Fraser Downs Barn Tours and Open House August 10, 2013

Fraser Downs is having an open house in the barn area on Saturday, August 10, 2013 from 9:30am to 2pm.

The backstretch area is located at 17740 - 62 Ave in Cloverdale. Take 176th Street, turn east down 62nd Avenue. There's traffic lights there and the Cloverdale Rec Centre is on the corner. Drive down until you see the red barns on the right side of the road. The left side is also a red barn, the Agriplex, and has nothing to do with Fraser Downs, but its probably easier to park in their parking lot and walk across the street.

The open house has tours of the barn area given by some of the people who work with the Standardbred racehorses. There is a free lunch as well.

Even though it says the open house/barn tours start at 9:30am I would say arrive later on. They are holding qualifying races on Saturday morning for the coming racing season that starts on August 17 and I don't think they'll be finished that early. The barn area will be a fluster of activity with horse, sulky, driver teams going back and forth to the track and the various barn workers getting their work done. The barn tours won't start until its safe for people to be moving around those areas. We've arrived as late as 11am in the past and the barn tours were just getting ready to start. Take a tour and learn what goes into getting a horse ready to race.

As for the free lunch, last year it was hot dogs on a BBQ. Previous years its been put together your own sandwiches and salads. No notice what the lunch will be this year.

Barn Tours and Open House at Fraser Downs Saturday August 11, 2012

Come to the backstretch of Fraser Downs for a free tour of the barn area and lunch on Saturday, August 11, 2012

Barn tours start around 10:30am and you get to meet some of the trainers and racehorses while following your guide around the backstretch. They are running qualifying races for the Standardbred horses in the morning and if they're late the start time for the tours will be delayed.

Lunch will be served from 11:30am to 1:30pm. I hear they will be barbecuing hamburgers.

Open house ends at 2pm.

Best way to get to the backstretch is head down 176th Street to 62nd Avenue and drive east. There are traffic lights there and the rec centre is on the corner and the red barn to the Agriplex is down the road. The best place to park is in the parking lot next to the Agriplex. The parking lot for the barn area across the street is probably already full of cars of the backstretch employees. Just walk across the street and sign up for a tour and enter to win prizes.