Celebrate BC Heritage Week from February 17 to 23, 2025 — a time to highlight and showcase local heritage across the province. This year’s Heritage Week theme is “Pastimes in Past Times.”
One of the sights along the historic tram route to Steveston is Minoru Park, where locals gathered to enjoy watching the horse races each summer.
Horse racing was a major attraction for fans from across the Lower Mainland. In a time before most people could afford cars, the trams were essential for getting people to the races. Trams called “Racing Specials” ran directly from downtown Vancouver to the southern neighbourhood of Marpole, and then on to the Minoru and Lansdowne racetracks in Richmond.
These Racing Specials traveled at about 25 miles per hour (40 kilometers), often with two trams connected together. They were easy to spot, with flags flying and bells ringing, setting them apart from regular passenger services.
The Minoru Racetrack, which opened in 1909, attracted a crowd of 7,000 for its first event. It was later renamed the Brighouse Racetrack. It didn’t just host horse races—aviation history was also made there, with several records set between 1910 and 1913. Notable achievements included the first flight west of Winnipeg, the first parachute jump in Canada, and the first solo flight by a woman in Canada.
In 1924, the Lansdowne Racetrack opened with grandstands that could hold up to 4,500 spectators and a clubhouse for 1,000 people.
Both tracks enjoyed their peak during the 1930s, a golden era for horse racing, even amidst the Great Depression. The Brighouse Racetrack continued to operate until 1942, when it closed due to wartime gas rationing. The closure of the Steveston tram line in 1958 ultimately heralded the end of the Lansdowne Racetrack. The racetrack owners moved their money to Hasting Park Race Track and commercial horse racing ended in Richmond in 1960.
Watch a video about the history of horse racing in Richmond, courtesy of the Richmond Archives.
Celebrate Pastimes in Past Times with a visit to the Steveston Tram museum, open Tuesdays to Sundays 10am to 4pm (winter hours), and step aboard the beautifully restored Tram Car 1220 to be transported back in time, and imagine what may have been like to travel the historic rails of the BCER.
(Photo: Lansdowne Park Racetrack, 1926 CRA Photo 1987-0092-00001)
