Horses kick up dirt as they round the final bend in Saturday's fourth race. Photo by Richard McGuire, Osoyoos Times.

Horses kick up dirt as they round the final bend in Saturday’s fourth race. Photo by Richard McGuire, Osoyoos Times.

The first of two horse racing days at Desert Park Saturday, after a 15-year absence, was successful beyond all expectations, drawing crowds estimated at close to 2,000 people Saturday afternoon and evening.

“We ran out of everything practically by the end of the second race,” said Carol Youngberg, president of the Desert Park Exhibition Society. “We ran out of alcohol, we ran out of hamburgers, we ran out of hot dogs and we replenished our stock twice. We sold out of our programs 45 minutes after we opened the gate. And we had 500 printed.”

Even though the first of seven races was a little late starting, many drivers were still jamming the road outside in search of parking spaces when the races got underway.

“It’s exciting,” said Tom Shields, announcer at Saturday’s event and a former mayor, who also called the races at Desert Park before they shut down in the 1990s. “When you see the cars lined up, it’s just like the old days, with people scrambling for parking spots when they come in.”

Horses thundered around the track kicking up dirt in seven races overall, including one featuring quarter horses that run a short, but fast course.

Patrons lined up inside to place bets between races. The success of the event impressed many out-of-town visitors, including many in the horse business.

“We didn’t actually send any horses up here this year for the inaugural event in Osoyoos,” said Rod McIvor, a horse owner with the North American Thoroughbred Horse Company. “But we have several horses that we might consider – now that it’s been such a phenomenal success – to enter for the future date in August … I’m really impressed.”

McIvor said he expects a number of horse owners held back from Saturday’s races to see how things would go before committing and they may regret not having brought horses to participate.

Youngberg, whose large team of volunteers worked long and hard to pull off the event, admitted when it was all over that she was feeling very emotional. It was, however, a feeling of joy.

“It’s wonderful,” she said. “We were so well supported… We just had a wonderful support team. Over 100 volunteers… It’s been a wonderful day and I can’t thank everybody enough.”

The success of Saturday’s races is a positive sign for future races in Osoyoos, she said.

“We’re looking forward to August 31st,” she said, noting that local wineries will be involved in the second race day this year. “We hope that will give Osoyoos a bit of a boost and regenerate horse racing and wine tasting.”

Mayor Stu Wells, who stayed at the track side throughout the event chatting to visitors, said the solid stream of cars arriving was wonderful.

“It’s a great tribute to the people who put this together,” he said. “All the volunteers who are out there and those thousands of hours gone into making this happen. That’s what I appreciate. This is good for the town, bringing it back like days of old.”

Wells predicts the August date will be better and easier, and it will attract new horse owners.

Actual attendance wasn’t counted since admission to the race was free and some people left early or came late.

Arthur Harfman, a rancher from Bridesville, who raises quarter horses, regretted that he was only able to make it to the final race. He definitely plans to be back for Aug. 31.

He’s excited by the return of racing to Osoyoos and thinks it will be a big boost for the town.

“Fantastic,” he said. “I love it.”

Even just catching the final race was a thrill for Harfman.

“I wished I’d have went and betted on it (the last race) actually,” said Harfman. “I picked the No. 5 horse coming off the wash rack here, but didn’t have time to go bet on it.”

Woombroom Express came first in that race among six horses.

BY RICHARD McGUIRE

Osoyoos Times