The Calgary Stampeders confirmed Friday night that their touchdown horse won’t run the length of Edmonton’s Commonwealth Stadium on Sunday as the Stamps face off against the Ottawa Redblacks in the Grey Cup game.
Quick Six will, however, still be allowed to celebrate touchdowns with the players in the end zone, according to the Stamps.
WATCH: While the Calgary Stampeders are in enemy territory, they’re keeping tradition alive. Lisa MacGregor reports.
When the team plays on home soil, Quick Six and rider Chelsea Drake charge down the sideline with the Stamps’ flag flying.
In the past two years, the horse hasn’t been allowed at the Grey Cup game.
In Ottawa in 2017, the Stampeders were told live animals weren’t allowed because of limited space on the sidelines — the field at TD Place is apparently one of the smallest in the CFL — and safety concerns. In 2016 in Toronto, officials said BMO Field wasn’t big enough to accommodate the traditional celebration.
Quick Six was in Edmonton on Thursday and officials were testing the field conditions to see if it’s safe for the horse to run but the decision was made to nix the touchdown gallop.
The Stampeders hinted on Friday morning that the horse might be taking part in the game, tweeting a gif of Quick Six running, saying, “Guess who’s coming to Edmonton?”
According to the Calgary Stampeders website, the white gelding horse was introduced in 1993 to match the team’s logo of a white mustang. Quick Six joined the team 10 years later in 2003.
–With files from Global News’ Phil Heidenreich