The meet
The official calendar lists the exact race dates. Some pages, including the track's own race times, still write PDT or PST. The post time is local time in Osoyoos either way.
The track and the grounds
Desert Park Raceway is at 4665 Pebble Beach Dr, Osoyoos, on the grounds of the Desert Park Exhibition Society. The track is 5/8 mile, with an 810-foot homestretch. Those grounds work all year as an equestrian and exhibition complex, with five barns, an outdoor arena and an RV park. Horses have been part of the place for more than 40 years.
The Independent Gambling Control Office (IGCO) licenses the raceway. The meet itself is run by the Western Canada Horse Racing Association, a not-for-profit society. Its agreement with the exhibition society and the Town of Osoyoos was announced on July 6, 2026.
Limited serviced RV sites are available on the property, first come, first served. Desert Park is a racetrack. No casino, slots or teletheatre are mentioned there.
Watching from away
Races at Desert Park are streamed live on YouTube. Free race programs are posted in the track's player portal, so the card can be read before post time. Horse racing can also be watched and bet on at teletheatres across BC. This guide names no betting site or app and gives no betting advice.
For travellers pairing the track with a casino, Cascades Casino Penticton is 54.3 km from Desert Park in a straight line. Kelowna is 97 km away, measured the same way.
Why this meet matters
Thoroughbred racing at Hastings Racecourse in Vancouver ran from 1889 until December 5, 2025. There is no live racing at Hastings in 2026. Harness racing had already lost its track by then. Fraser Downs in Surrey, which had hosted harness racing since 1976, closed on August 15, 2025.
That left British Columbia without live harness racing until Sunday, September 27, 2026. On that day the first meet opened at Desert Park Raceway in Osoyoos, on a 5/8 mile track inside an exhibition ground.
Questions
Can you stay overnight at the track?
Limited serviced RV sites are available on the Desert Park property. They go first come, first served. The grounds also hold five barns and an outdoor arena, but this guide has no details on other lodging there.