Edmonton’s chuckwagon track at Northlands is much safer than what’s seen in Calgary, suggests the park’s president.
Northlands president Ken Knowles says every chuckwagon race at the park — including the Edmonton Chuckwagon Derby in September — has eight fewer horses and eight less riders on the track in every heat compared to the Calgary Stampede.
Five horses have died during the Calgary Stampede and organizers had to cancel the chuckwagon races on Tuesday because of heavy rains that turned the field into mud.
Knowles says the track at Northlands is better equipped to handle wet weather since it already has an “excellent drainage system.” Knowles says Northlands staff are monitoring the situation.
The Calgary Stampede’s Doug Fraser said Stampede officials weren’t prepared to comment.
With files from Darren Krause and The Canadian Press
