Once the centre of a lumbering region, the Kawartha Lakes are known as a popular summer-resort region noted for canoeing, boating, and fishing. With a population just under 100,000 full-time residents, families travel far and wide to come here to play, and KD (Kawartha Downs) offers just that.

For five decades families have come to KD for Saturday Night Harness Racing.

2022 was an epic year!

Together, we celebrated the 50th Anniversary of Kawartha Downs highlighted by special events, celebrations, and fireworks, Our goal to make KD your ultimate Events Destination.

You’ll still come to enjoy the harness races and come back for more events than ever before. There will be more live music, festivals, family days, date nights, sporting events, even business conferences, and learning workshops! We’ll be posting more details as they become available.

How it all began
For many years, the racing calendar centered mainly around the annual fall fair, held each year in mid-August.

On occasion, other meetings were held, sometimes as many as five per year. With the advent of night racing in the early 1960s, Peterborough became the first so-called “B track” to stage racing under arc lights