It has taken a lot of time and effort and great community support, but the Desert Park racetrack facility is in great shape and ready to host horse racing for the first time in almost 15 years, said Desert Park Exhibition Society president Carol Youngberg during a presentation to Town of Osoyoos council on Monday.
The society applied to the B.C Horse Racing Association to host race dates last fall and were thrilled when two race dates were approved for June 15 and  August 31 this year, said Youngberg.
“We have done a great job of preparing the facility and we really appreciate all of your support,”
 said Youngberg.
After becoming an official non-profit society last year, more than 100 members have joined the exhibition society and worked together as a committed group to try and fix up the racetrack facility, which was pretty much falling apart, said Youngberg.
“We have put a whole lot of money into Desert Park as it exists now,” she said. “We hope we’re doing many good things for this community and we would hope that a lot of people are going to come out to the races on June 15.”
The provincial racing association has made it clear they expect crowds of between 800 and 1,000 people to attend both race dates, said Youngberg.
The exhibition society has almost $20,000 in its bank account and it will be needed as it’s expected the June 15 race will cost roughly $56,000 to host, said Youngberg.
While admission will be free, those attending will be charged a $5 fee to park and another $5 to purchase the racing program, she said.
The Desert Park Exhibition Society is sponsoring a big fundraising dinner and dance on Friday evening at the Watermark Beach Resort. Organizers are hoping for a sellout crowd of more than 120 people.
The remainder of revenue will come from patrons betting on the races, she said.
There will be paramutual betting on all races, which means patrons can bet on horses to win, place or show and they can also bet on triactors in each race where patrons try and predict the order of finish for the top three horses in each race. There will also be betting on the Daily Double where patrons will try and select the winners of the first two races on the card.
Several horse people from Alberta have been training their horses at Desert Park in preparation for the June 15 races and many have commented on how beautiful the facility looks and how many major improvements have taken place, said Youngberg.
Not only has the turf on the racetrack been dramatically upgraded, but new fence posts have been installed, several stalls have been upgraded, the entrance gates on both sides have been painted, the portable bleachers have been upgraded and painted, the jockey shack has new windows, flooring and paint, she said.
While race dates are exciting, the reality is Desert Park can only survive if horse people from across western Canada, especially from Alberta, continue to use it to train horses. Every sign indicates that will happen, said Youngberg.
“This has to be our focus … as a training centre,” she said.
There will be a minimum of six races and maximum of nine on June 15.
Besides horse racing, there will also be a beer garden and shuttle service from downtown to the racetrack, she said.
Mayor Stu Wells applauded Youngberg and all of the volunteers with the exhibition society on a job well done.
“It’s incredible what you are getting done up there,” he said. “Every time you go by there, you see more and more work getting done.”
Town council voted in favour of sponsoring one of the races on June 15. Councillors voted unanimously in favour of spending $3,500 from a reserve fund to sponsor the race.