Rideau Carleton Raceway
Coordinates: 45°17′47″N 75°36′11″W / 45.296385°N 75.603147°W
Rideau Carleton Raceway is a Canadian horse racing and gambling complex located at 4837 Albion Road in Ottawa, Ontario. The facility began operation in 1962 and specialises in Standardbred harness racing.
In 2000, the venue introduced slot machines, under the authority of the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation (OLG) which were expected to draw annual revenue of $130 million. The site includes a restaurant and hosts musical performances.
Rideau Carleton is also the site of the Gloucester Fair (now the Capital Fair) since 1998. The raceway provides facilities for numerous charitable fundraisers and hosts annual events for several embassies.
The brainchild of James William Baskin, Rideau Carleton opened for racing on 1 September 1962. The racetrack was situated on a plot of about 300 acres on the outskirts of Ottawa in Gloucester Township, only two miles from Ottawa's airport. The facilities were developed by architect and building director D'Arcy Helmer, who had previously designed several hospitals and schools in the Ottawa Valley but who had never previously visited a racetrack. Helmer drew his main inspiration from Scioto Downs in Columbus, Ohio. The grandstand and clubhouse were completed at a cost of $841,000, while the track itself cost $750,000. The facilities also included 12 fireproof barns plus 96 tack rooms and a restaurant for the horsepeople. Despite a successful opening, the racetrack was then plagued by bad weather, which contributed to the track going into receivership at the end of its first season. Overcoming this rocky start, Rideau Carleton celebrate its fiftieth anniversary in 2012.
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