Derby Day at the Raceway

SATURDAY MAY 3, 2025

Free Admission & Parking!

Join us on Saturday, May 3rd, at 1:15 PM for an unforgettable Derby Day celebration! Dress to impress for our Big Fancy Hat Contest, enjoy a rustic Southern BBQ and Mint Juleps at Top of the Fair Restaurant (reserve your table at www.topofthefair.com), and cheer on more than just the horses—don’t miss the thrilling Dachshund Derby and Miniature Pony Race! With live music, food trucks, and free grandstand admission, this family-friendly event is the perfect way to celebrate a day at the races. See you at the track!

Watch Live in Person

Top of the Fair Restaurant

  • Experience the thrill of The Raceway’s live harness racing every week. We provide TV monitors at each table to ensure that everyone can enjoy the races and not miss a thing! Come on out and enjoy a unique dining experience and a day at the races. You will not be disappointed!

    Top of the Fair is located on the third floor of the Grandstand building at 900 King Street in London, Ontario. Top of the Fair features floor-to-ceiling windows with a panoramic view paired with a buffet featuring locally sourced ingredients.

Find a Table

The Patio
& Grandstand

Two women smiling, one wearing a large red hat with a veil and a pink floral blouse, the other wearing a straw hat and white t-shirt, holding a black puppy with a green bandana at an outdoor event with several people in the background.

  • Patio: Get up close and watch the action from the patio. We’ll have food trucks, live music and more.

    Grandstand: Take in the view from London’s iconic grandstand.

Raceway
Simulcast

  • We are open 7 days a week for simulcast racing! You can bet on many harness and thoroughbred racing tracks from all over North America. The Raceway at the Western Fair District currently features simulcast racing in our newly renovated Raceway Lounge. You can find the Raceway lounge on the first floor of the grandstand. Snack bar open each day featuring daily food specials.

Highlights

Horse racing event with four horses and their drivers on a dirt track, and spectators watching behind white fencing in the background.
Two women smiling, holding a black puppy with a green bandana, at an outdoor event with many people in the background.

Live Racing

Dachshund Derby

Crowd of people outside a modern stadium with a glass exterior, some sitting at tables and others standing in line or walking.
A young girl and a woman riding a decorated miniature horse in a harness carriage at a nighttime event, with the girl dressed in a pink princess costume, both wearing helmets.

Food Trucks

Miniature Pony Race

Two women smiling, one wearing a large red hat and red floral top, the other wearing a straw hat and holding a black dog with a green bandana at an outdoor event with many people in the background.

Dachshund Derby at The Raceway

Enter your Dachshund for the May 3rd Wiener Dog Race!

THREE heats of 10 - The winner of each heat will get $150. Overall fastest heat time will be crowned the "Top Dog" and take home the trophy! This event will take place in between the live horse races.

Entries will be closed once we have 30 participants.

Live races begin at 1:15 PM and the wiener dog races will run at approximately 3:00pm. Registration will be between 1:00PM-2:00PM.

More information will be emailed to the participants closer to the date.

*Contest conditions must be read before entering.*

Contest Conditions
Waiver
Entry Form
Group of five women wearing colorful hats, sitting at a table in a lively restaurant or bar, with other patrons and screens in the background. Four of them are smiling at the camera, and the table has drinks, papers, and personal belongings.
Four people in formal attire smiling at a social event, with a bar and bar patrons in the background, and multiple screens displaying a woman in a hat on the wall.
Five women sitting at a dining table wearing colorful hats and bright clothing, with plates of food and drinks in front of them, in a room with large windows.
A woman and a man smiling indoors, with large windows in the background showing a parking lot and grass. The woman is wearing glasses, a beige top, and a hat decorated with yellow and white flowers. The man is wearing glasses, a gray checked blazer,
Two women smiling, one wearing a large red hat with a flower and a red floral top, the other wearing a straw cowboy hat and a white shirt, holding a small black dachshund puppy with a green bandana. People and dogs in the background at a dog derby ev
A woman with tattoos and long blonde hair smiling while holding a black and tan dachshund wearing a yellow bandana. The woman is wearing a black cap, white shirt, and has a nose piercing. She is holding a glass trophy. In the background, there is a c

Watch Races Online

Don’t miss a single Race! Watch every race from The Raceway at Western Fair District in High Definition. 
Missed one? Get the results here.

HD Live Stream 

Available 30 minutes before Post Time each race day: 

Horse racing track with horses, jockeys, and spectators in grandstands during sunset.
Horse harness racing on a dirt track with multiple horses and drivers, and spectators watching from the stands.
Inside a racetrack viewing area with people dining at tables and betting on horse races on monitors, with large windows showing the racetrack outside.
Nighttime harness racing at a dirt racetrack with a large lit grandstand filled with spectators.
Nighttime scene at a horse racetrack with a group of trotting racehorses and their handlers in the foreground, and an illuminated grandstand with spectators in the background.
A man in a suit holding a helmet on a horse racing track, with spectators behind a white fence and seating area in the background.
Empty horse racing track with a grandstand and blue sky.
A young man with a guitar sings into a microphone while a young woman with a red sweater and jeans sings into a mic behind him at an outdoor event. People are gathering in the background.

News

News
Tymal Riggs Too Good In Western Fair Preferred
Tymal Riggs Too Good In Western Fair Preferred

Tymal Riggs took his second Preferred win in his last three starts for owner-trainer Mark Etsell of Rockwood, Ont. The Kadabra-All Filled Up stallion is a 31-time winner with $337,430 in earnings in 152 career outings. He returned $13.50 at the windows.

Charmbo Stormy Thunders To Western Fair Win
Charmbo Stormy Thunders To Western Fair Win

Charmbo Stormy blew into The Raceway at Western Fair District on Monday (Jan. 26) where she went wire-to-wire in the $11,000 Filly and Mare Preferred as the 2-5 favourite with driver Samuel Fillion. 

CANCELLED for tonight - FRIDAY, JAN. 23
CANCELLED for tonight - FRIDAY, JAN. 23

LIVE RACING cancelled for tonight - FRIDAY, JAN. 23 - due to the extreme cold temperatures and high winds causing blowing snow and frigid conditions.

Patriarch Hanover Upsets In London
Patriarch Hanover Upsets In London

Sent off at 13-1 from the second tier, Patriarch Hanover closed off cover to snag the $11,000 Preferred Handicap Trot at The Raceway at the Western Fair District on Tuesday, Jan. 20.

Tymal Riggs Upsets In London Preferred
Tymal Riggs Upsets In London Preferred

Tymal Riggs went from sixth to first in the last eighth of a mile to land an 11-1 upset in the $11,000 Preferred Handicap Trot over a track rated good at The Raceway at the Western Fair District on Tuesday, Jan. 13.

Brodys Scrapper Picture Parade and Race Replay
Brodys Scrapper Picture Parade and Race Replay

Brodys Scrapper picked up his 75th career win in his final career start on New Year’s Eve in London and just a few hours later he would turn 15 - the mandatory retirement age for standardbreds racing in Ontario…

Austin Sorrie Drives First London Winner Of 2026
Austin Sorrie Drives First London Winner Of 2026

Austin Sorrie, The Raceway’s leading driver of 2025, drove the first winner of 2026, on Friday night, in London. Thats Hooligan, making just his second start for trainer Gerard Demers, used a powerful four-wide swoop, up the backside, to grab control and trot off from his rivals in 2:04.

A Pair Of Fourteen-Year-Olds Retiring On New Year’s Eve In London
A Pair Of Fourteen-Year-Olds Retiring On New Year’s Eve In London

A pair of veteran standardbreds - pacer Brodys Scrapper + trotter So Not Cool - will make their final career starts with us on New Year’s Eve in London.

LIVE RACING CANCELLED for Boxing Day
LIVE RACING CANCELLED for Boxing Day

LIVE RACING CANCELLED for Boxing Day - due to extended freezing rain throughout the day - leading to hazardous track and travel conditions.

London’s Leading Trainer Nominated For O’Brien Award of Horsemanship
London’s Leading Trainer Nominated For O’Brien Award of Horsemanship

“It was both a huge shock and a huge honour to be named among the group nominated for this O’Brien Award of Horsemanship. I am forever grateful – this is just amazing...” - Lindsey Kerr

Raceway Regulars Nominated for ‘Future Star’ Award
Raceway Regulars Nominated for ‘Future Star’ Award

We caught up with four Raceway regulars, this past week, to have them comment on their successful 2025 racing seasons and what it would mean, for them, to be a finalist for the Future Star Award.

Brady Galliers: London’s Newest Driver
Brady Galliers: London’s Newest Driver

“The first few weeks have been really good here - as far as meeting people and getting my name out there,” mentions Galliers. “I’m truly enjoying the opportunities and this racing seven days per week - it’s something I’ve missed and I’ve really looked forward to it since moving up.”

Holiday Draw Schedule
Holiday Draw Schedule

A very busy time of year for all - please take note of the draw schedule for the weeks ahead in London... Have a safe and happy holiday season and all the best in 2026!

Deb Salhani has charted a never boring, 50-year career at The Raceway at Western Fair District
Deb Salhani has charted a never boring, 50-year career at The Raceway at Western Fair District

Fifty years into her career at The Raceway at Western Fair District and 36 years since she became the track charter, Deb Salhani said she’s never been bored working at the racetrack.