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What is the Alberta Standardbred Horse Association?
The Alberta Standardbred Horse Association (ASHA) is the provincial organization for harness racing in Alberta. Its site acts as a hub for the people who breed, own, train, drive and bet on Standardbred horses, bringing together racing schedules, stakes information, sale details and membership resources in one place.
H3 What the site covers
- Racing and tracks: It points visitors to schedules, live racing, replays, entries and programs for Alberta tracks, and includes a track finder and off-track betting locations.
- Breeding and sales: There are sections for stallions, foals, mares, a breeders committee and a yearling sale, including a sale catalogue and credit application.
- Stakes and eligibility: The site lists stakes calendars, a stakes guide, eligibility information, ABSS Super Finals and nomination details.
- Horsemen and membership: Horsemen information, a bookkeeper contact, news, membership sign-up, an annual general meeting and awards are all part of the offering.
- Learning to bet: A "Harness Racing 101" guide, wagering terms and a wager-online option are aimed at newcomers.
H3 Who it is for
The mix of content suits several audiences at once. A breeder looking for stallion or yearling sale information will find it alongside a casual fan checking race times. A horse owner or trainer can look up stakes eligibility and payment details, while someone new to the sport can start with the introductory wagering material. If you are trying to decide whether the site is useful to you, ask which of those roles fits: participant (owner, breeder, trainer, driver) or spectator/bettor. The participant sections are the most detailed.
H3 A practical next step
If you are new to harness racing in Alberta, begin with the "Harness Racing 101" and "Learn to Wager" pages before moving to the race calendar. If you already own or breed horses, go straight to the stakes guide and eligibility pages, since deadlines and nomination requirements are the details most likely to affect you. For a broader view of the sport elsewhere, Standardbred Canada covers national news and records.
How can I bet on harness racing in Alberta?
You can bet on harness racing in Alberta both at the track and from off-track locations. The Alberta Standardbred Horse Association (ASHA) is the industry body that points you to the relevant tracks, race dates and wagering guidance.
ASHA lists three main racing venues — Century Downs, The Track on 2 and Century Mile — each with schedule, live racing, replays, entries and programs. It also has a "Learn to Wager" and "Wagering Terms" section, plus "Off Track Betting Locations" and a "Wager Online" option.
Practical steps
- Check the racing calendar and entries so you know which track is racing and when.
- Read the wagering terms and beginner guide before placing a bet, so you understand bet types and payouts.
- Choose how to bet: on-track, at an off-track betting location, or online through the operator ASHA links to.
- Bring ID and set a budget; harness racing cards move quickly, so decide your bets in advance.
Track options
| Venue | What it offers |
|---|---|
| Century Downs | Racing schedule, entries and programs |
| The Track on 2 | Racing schedule, entries and programs |
| Century Mile | Racing schedule, entries and programs |
For a first visit, Century Downs is a common starting point because it combines live racing with on-site facilities. If you prefer not to travel, use the off-track betting locations list or the online wagering route.
A useful next step: open the ASHA site's "Harness Racing 101" and "Learn to Wager" pages, then check the calendar for the next race day at your nearest track.
What is the process for buying a yearling at the ASHA sale?
Buying a yearling through the Alberta Standardbred Horse Association (ASHA) sale is primarily an in-person auction process: you register as a bidder, inspect the yearlings in the sale catalogue, bid at the auction, and then complete payment and transfer paperwork if you have the winning bid.
Because ASHA is an association site rather than a retail checkout, the practical steps sit partly on the website and partly at the sales ground. Here is how to think about it.
What the ASHA site actually provides
The page evidence shows a 2026 Yearling Sale section alongside Breeding, Stallions, Foals, and Mares, plus a 2024 Yearling Sales Catalogue and a Fifteen (15) Day Credit Application. That tells you the association publishes the sale catalogue and a credit application in advance. The catalogue is where you find the yearlings, their pedigree and consignor details; the credit application is what you would use if you want to bid on account rather than pay immediately.
Payment is handled by e-Transfer, per the site's payment information page. Membership with ASHA is a separate item from buying a yearling, so do not assume you must be a member to bid — confirm that directly with the association.
The likely sequence
- Get the catalogue — download the yearling sales catalogue from the sale page and shortlist horses by pedigree, sire, dam and consignor.
- Inspect before the sale — attend the pre-sale viewing or arrange an inspection. For yearlings, this matters more than the catalogue page: conformation, soundness and temperament are things you assess in person.
- Register to bid — contact the ASHA office to get a bidder number. If you want to bid on credit, submit the 15-day credit application in advance rather than on sale day.
- Bid at the auction — the hammer price is the purchase price; auction fees and applicable taxes are usually added.
- Settle and collect — pay by e-Transfer or the method the association confirms, then arrange transport and the registration/transfer paperwork for the horse.
Decide before you bid
- Budget beyond the hammer price. Add auction commission, taxes, transport, insurance, and the first months of board and vet care. A yearling is a multi-year commitment before it races.
- Buy for a plan. If you intend to race in Alberta, check stakes eligibility and the Alberta Sires Stakes program before you fall in love with a pedigree. The site's Stakes Eligibility and ABSS Super Finals pages are the relevant starting points.
- Use the credit application only if you need it. Paying by e-Transfer at settlement avoids carrying a short-term balance, but confirm the association's accepted timeline.
Next step
Open the yearling sale page and download the catalogue, then email the office at the address listed on the contact page to ask three specific questions: when bidder registration closes, what the buyer's premium and taxes are, and whether credit applications must be approved before sale day. That one email resolves most of the uncertainty.
For context on the wider Alberta harness racing scene, The Track on 2 and Century Mile host racing referenced from the ASHA schedule, and Standardbred Canada handles national registration and transfer records for Standardbreds.
How do I become a member of the Alberta Standardbred Horse Association?
Membership in the Alberta Standardbred Horse Association (ASHA) is handled through the association itself, and the site lists "ASHA MEMBERSHIPS" as a dedicated item alongside an annual general meeting and awards pages. That tells you the practical route is to go through ASHA's membership information and application rather than through a racetrack or provincial racing regulator.
What to do next
- Open the membership section on the ASHA site and read the current categories and requirements: ASHA.
- If you need to send payment or supporting documents, note that the site publishes an e-transfer payment information page.
- For anything ambiguous — eligibility, fees, renewal dates, or what a given membership includes — contact the office directly at [email protected] or by mail at #202, 191 Edwards Way SW, Airdrie, AB T4B 3E2.
Who this is for
ASHA membership is most relevant if you are a standardbred owner, breeder, trainer, driver, groom or otherwise involved in Alberta's harness racing industry, or if you want voting and participation rights at the annual general meeting. If you are simply a fan who wants to attend races or place a wager, you do not need a membership for that — the site's "Harness Racing 101," "Learn to Wager" and track-finding pages cover the spectator side separately.
A useful decision criterion
Before applying, decide what you actually need: a membership that carries voting and industry participation, a stake nomination or eligibility status, or just a race-day experience. Those are different paths on the site, and confirming which one applies to you will save a round of emails.
What stakes races are available for Alberta harness horses?
Stakes racing in Alberta is organized around a season-long nomination and payment system rather than a single open entry list. The Alberta Standardbred Horse Association (ASHA) is the body that publishes the stakes calendar, the stakes guide, eligibility lists, and the ABSS Super Finals information, so that is where the actual conditions and deadlines live. ASHA
What the program covers
- Stakes calendar and stakes guide – the two documents that tell you which races exist in a given season, their conditions, and when payments fall due.
- Stakes eligibility lists – the published roster of horses that are paid into each stake; if your horse is not on it, you cannot enter.
- ABSS Super Finals – the season-ending championship events for Alberta-sired standardbreds.
- Four-year-old stake nominations – nominations open for the older division, so the program is not limited to two- and three-year-olds.
- Stakes payments – handled through the association, with e-transfer listed as a payment route.
How a horse actually gets into a stakes race
The practical sequence is nomination, sustaining payments, then declaration to race. A horse is nominated as a yearling or foal, kept eligible by paying each scheduled instalment, and only then can it be entered when the race is drawn. Miss a payment and eligibility lapses. That is why the eligibility list matters more than the race calendar for owners planning a campaign.
Who this is for
- Owners and breeders deciding whether to nominate a foal and budget the year's payments.
- Trainers mapping a season across Century Downs, Century Mile and The Track On 2.
- New participants who should start with the harness racing 101 and learn-to-wager material before committing money to nominations.
A realistic first step
If you have a foal or yearling and are weighing whether to pay in, open the stakes guide and the current eligibility list side by side. Compare the total of all sustaining payments against the purses your horse's division realistically runs for, and check the nomination deadline before you commit. For a horse already in training, confirm it appears on the eligibility list for your target race before planning the start — that single check prevents the most common and most expensive mistake in stakes racing.
How can I find a harness racing track in Alberta?
Use the ASHA site's Find a Track page and its Racing Calendar to locate harness racing in Alberta. The site lists three main venues with links to schedules, live racing, replays, entries and programs:
- Century Downs – primarily a thoroughbred track in Balzac, but the ASHA homepage groups it with the harness venues and links to its schedule, replays and entries.
- The Track on 2 – the harness track in Lacombe; this is the venue to check first for standardbred racing.
- Century Mile – in Edmonton, best known for thoroughbred racing, also listed with schedule and entries links.
Alberta Standardbred Horse Association
A practical way to plan a visit
- Open the ASHA Racing Calendar for the current season and note which dates fall at The Track on 2.
- Confirm the date on the track's own schedule page, since race dates and post times can shift.
- Check the Off Track Betting Locations list if you cannot attend in person.
- If you are new to the sport, read the site's Harness Racing 101 and Learn to Wager sections before you go.
For a first outing, The Track on 2 in Lacombe is the most direct answer to a harness-specific search. Century Downs and Century Mile are worth knowing because ASHA links their live racing, replays, entries and programs, but their primary product is thoroughbred racing. If your goal is to watch standardbreds specifically, verify the race type on the calendar rather than assuming every Alberta race date is harness racing.
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