The Rocky Mountain Turf Club is once again bringing horse racing fans the always jam-packed, historic and exciting Millarville Race Meet. The popular race track, complete with a home-town fair, is just off the Turner Valley highway.
Friday, July 1 – Canada Day, under guidance of RMTC CEO Max Gibb, the Millarville meet has a seven-race card lined up for true fans of the sport of horse racing. The seventh race on the seven race card, is the $10,000 Millarville Derby.
"There will be six horses in the Derby, with Darcy Ralph’s Master’s Bluff among the entries,” says Max Gibb CEO of the RMTC. “Also in the Derby, a mile and an eighth race, will be Sportive from Jacqueline Smith and Roman Ruler, a Riley Rycroft-trained horse.
“The Derby field also includes a horse from Eric Turner, one of the top trainers this Spring with Takin A Dip, and entries from Norm Calf Robe with Afleet In Time and Nolan Little Bear with Staffins Vision. “We’ll have six entrants in the $7,000 Millarville Sprint Stake, covering five furlongs.” There are some dandy horses in here including Lyle Magnuson’s General Day, Jim Depew’s Careless Hunter and Beach Premier from Riley Rycroft.
“The $5,000 added, 350 yard, Millarville Paint Stake kicks off our racing card in great fashion,” says Gibb. “Les Webb will have his good horse Kick Buttowski, Buckey Stockwell’s Cowboys Mafia is entered along with four other top horses from trainers like Nellie Pigeau, John Poirier, Les Adams and Wayne Hall. This will be a colourful, exciting way to kick off the Millarville Race Meet.
“There’ll be four other races on our July 1 card, two of them seven furlongs, with the fifth race featuring full field of eight. That field includes Pipestone Flyer, Langfuhr’s Star and Stormin River. “The two five furlong races have entries from Jim Depew, Lyle Magnuson, Shawn Birdrattler and Calvin Strandquist to name just a few of the top trainers.”
The Millarville card has attracted some of the leading riders, like Jose Rocha who leads the RMTC jockeys going into Millarville, as well as Freddy Fuentes, Trevor Simpson, Blandford Stewart, Valentino McBean, and Larris Allan.
The Rocky Mountain Turf Club's Millarville Race Meet is a time-honoured tradition - with more than a 110 years of history in fact. And for horsemen, Friday, July 1, the Canada Day Millarville Race Meet promises some nice paydays during the day of racing. For regulars at Millarville they know the day promises more than horse racing, with an old-time country fair to be enjoyed, with crafts, baked goods and other attractions.
The Millarville race day’s large crowd help make the Race Meet a day to remember. The next, and final, race meet of the RMTC Spring season will be July 2-3, right after the Friday meet at Millarville. Race time at Whoop-Up Downs, Saturday and Sunday, will be 1:15 p.m.