After the last race

The announcement

On 2 April 2026 the hotel's newsroom published a release headed “Hard Rock Hotel and Casino and Ontario Racing Agree to conclude Racing Program at Rideau Carleton Raceway.” It says the racing programme concludes starting in the 2026 season, after extended talks with Ontario Racing, and that local horsepeople are encouraged to keep racing in Ontario at any of the province's 11 Standardbred racetracks. The release adds that affected racing staff were being offered other jobs within the organisation.

What it does not affect

The same release describes the rest of the operation in the present tense: the 150-room hotel with 22 suites, the casino, and Hard Rock LIVE with its 1,900 seats. The listings for Hard Rock LIVE run into February 2027. The hotel, the restaurants and the hall are open as before.

What you might still see

Old names. Rideau Carleton Raceway and Rideau Carleton Casino still appear on some maps, directories and road signs; the Google Maps link on the hotel's own site resolves to a card under the old casino name. The hotel's entertainment page, read on 29 October 2026, still lists live harness racing among the attractions. We read that as text nobody has updated yet. The hotel's contact page also still links to a “Racetrack” section among its quick links.

A short history in three dates

The longer version is on from raceway to Hard Rock.

What it means for a stay

Nothing practical, unless you were planning a race day — in which case there is no race day to plan. The hotel's entertainment page still names outdoor events on the property, the Capital Fair, Highland Games and seasonal fireworks, but publishes no dates; confirm any of them with the hotel before you build a trip around it. For everyone else, the reason to stay here is now the hall, and the calendar for that is on our show calendar.