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Thoroughbred racing at Saskatoon’s Marquis Downs appears to have reached the finish line.
In a media release Friday, the board of directors of Prairieland Park announced it had decided to permanently cancel horse racing at Marquis Downs after a 50-year run.
Instead, Prairieland Park is turning its attention to soccer and the Canadian Premier League. The league is looking to put an expansion team in Saskatoon.
“The decision to end thoroughbred horse racing was not come to lightly,” Prairieland Park’s release said, “however, the opportunity presented by CPL and Living Sky Sports will help lead Prairieland into the future, and the board felt it was the time to transition the track space at Marquis Downs to accommodate this new venture.”
The 2020 horse racing season was scrapped due to COVID-19. Then, on Feb. 25, Prairieland Park announced it was cancelling the 2021 summer horse racing season as well — a decision that sparked a protest on March 1.
In Friday’s media release, Prairieland Park said it would provide a one-time payment to horse owners as compensation for the decision. For each horse that ran in three or more races in 2019, Prairieland is to pay $1,000 to the horse owner.
Prairieland said it will continue to support the agriculture industry in the province through such events as the Western Canadian Crop Production Show, the Saskatchewan Equine Expo, the Beef Expo, Gardenscape and various youth-oriented programs.
“Those Prairieland-produced events, along with the community events hosted in the dedicated Ag Centre on the property, will remain a cornerstone of our ongoing commitment to agriculture in the province,” the media release said.
Prairieland Park also noted it’s in negotiations with First Nations groups to create and operate a First Nations Equine School and Indian Relay Racing Event at the park.
