Hastings Racecourse, Vancouver

One of Vancouver’s longest-running professional sports sites was a racetrack. Hastings Racecourse opened in 1889 as East Park and hosted thoroughbred racing for generations, with interruptions and a final live meet in 2025. The City of Vancouver owns the property, and Great Canadian Entertainment operated the racing and casino businesses. Live thoroughbred racing ceased in December 2025, ending a long chapter of horseracing in Canada.

A longstanding highlight of the former racing calendar at Hastings Racecourse was the British Columbia Breeders’ Cup series of races. Similar in organization to the American Breeders’ Cup, the BC Breeders’ Cup began on the first Monday in August which is a Canadian public holiday known as Civic Day. On that day Hastings Racecourse hosted a program of six races in different classes, very much like the US championships. The key difference, however, is that the British Columbia stakes program continued well into September, making it something akin to a racing carnival. As a part of the September program, two prominent provincial races for three-year-olds were conducted: the British Columbia Breeders’ Cup Oaks for fillies, and the British Columbia Breeders’ Cup Derby for colts. The comparison is limited: they were regional stakes, while the Kentucky Derby and Oaks are Grade 1 races with different qualification systems and national fields.

Hastings Racecourse is one of the smaller ones to be found in thoroughbred racing. It is designed in an oval that is just five furlongs in length. The distance to the finish line from the last turn at the top of the stretch is a mere 513 feet. This makes for some exciting racing action, especially in longer events when horses must sometimes navigate three turns in order to complete a race.

One of the biggest success stories to emerge in the horseracing world in recent years began at Hastings Racecourse. Jockey Mario Gutierrez, a Mexican-born jockey, emigrated to Canada in 2006 and began his career at Hastings. The talented young rider was quick to elevate himself in the Canadian jockey colony and eventually moved to the States where he won the 2012 Kentucky Derby and Preakness aboard I’ll Have Another. The young jockey made headlines again in 2016 with his win of the Kentucky Derby aboard Nyquist for trainer Doug O’Neill and owner J. Paul Reddam, the same connections who owned and trained I’ll Have Another.

The track faced recurring financial pressure before its live racing operation ultimately ended in 2025.

Live racing ended in 2025

On December 5, 2025, Hastings Racecourse & Casino announced that thoroughbred racing would cease immediately. The operator cited the lack of economic feasibility for another season after the provincial government decided to end the share of slot-machine revenue dedicated to racing. The casino and simulcast racebook were not included in the closure.

Hastings is now a historic racecourse with continuing casino and simulcast operations, rather than a live circuit that bettors can plan to attend. Archived charts remain useful for studying the short oval, local horsemen and regional stakes, but they should be labeled as historical evidence. Current visitors need the casino and simulcast schedule rather than an obsolete live-racing calendar. The official venue page still contains some older live-racing promotional language, so readers should rely on its current event and simulcast listings rather than archived race-day sections.

What the five-furlong oval meant

The former Hastings oval was five furlongs around with a short stretch. That configuration affected trip analysis: route races involved extra turns, position could matter early, and wide travel could cost more ground relative to a larger oval. Those factors belong in historical race analysis, but they are no longer a current betting angle at the closed live track.

Descriptions of wet or yielding turf on the prior page were misplaced because Hastings’ live course was a dirt oval. Surface details should be verified from race charts instead of inferred from Vancouver’s climate.

Mario Gutierrez and the local pathway

Mario Gutierrez began building his Canadian record at Hastings after moving from Mexico. He later rode I’ll Have Another to the 2012 Kentucky Derby and Preakness and Nyquist to the 2016 Kentucky Derby. Those are classic-race wins, not “Triple Crown wins” in the sense of sweeping all three races.

The distinction matters throughout historical profiles. A Triple Crown race win means one of the Derby, Preakness or Belmont. A Triple Crown winner must win all three in the same year. Neither I’ll Have Another nor Nyquist completed the sweep.

How to research a closed track

1. Start with dated race charts for the exact meet and surface.
2. Record the five-furlong layout and number of turns at the race distance.
3. Use contemporary jockey and trainer standings rather than applying old names to a later season.
4. Separate the history of the racing operation from current casino and simulcast services.
5. Check operator and government notices before describing any redevelopment as final.

Historic track analysis can still teach pace and trip principles. Choose an archived Hastings chart, note the first-call position, path around each turn and finish, and enter the observations in the Race Lab. Treat the exercise as retrospective study, not a current wagering recommendation.

Planning a visit now

The operator’s current venue page lists casino and simulcast information. Check that page directly for hours and the monthly simulcast schedule. Old racing calendars, restaurant descriptions and group packages may remain online after the live operation changed.

The operator’s December 2025 announcement supplies the closure date and stated reason. Great Canadian Entertainment listed continuing casino and simulcast activity when this page was reviewed on September 7, 2026.