Cancellation of horse racing stuns community

By Jordan Parker
For The Voice

The mid-March announcement by Prairieland Park that they would no longer host horse racing at their facility has left those involved in the sport and government opposition leaders puzzled.

Community member Nicole Hein has found herself protesting outside Prairieland and asking hard questions, with few answers provided.

“Just out of the blue, this was cancelled permanently. We were negotiating for 24 days of racing. Lethbridge, Ab. Has 33, and they offered us 20. But instead, this has been cancelled,” she said.

“We were told it was because they want to build a soccer field, but I just don’t understand why both can’t happen.”

Prairieland Park represented the last place in Saskatchewan harness racing with horses still existed, as a change to funding in 2014 by the provincial government shifted the landscape.

Though no former representatives of the Yorkton harness racing community could be reached for comment, a story appearing in Standardbred Canada on April 11, 2014, outlines the fears that came true.

The government announced the suspension of funding for horse racing in the province in the spring of 2012.

In a letter sent to Yorkton This Week, Yorkton’s then-Exhibition Association General Manager Shaun Morin expressed concern over the changes.

“Following the announcement last year by SLGA, Marquis Downs in Saskatoon, home of Thoroughbred racing was awarded a three-year contract for 100 per cent of provincial off-track betting,” Morin wrote at the time.

“That left Yorkton and harness racing with no tools to generate the needed funding to cover purse money and operating costs. The three-year licence secured funding for Marquis Downs for the future. In past years, the 10 per cent betting tax was shared by both breeds at approximately 72 per cent to Thoroughbred and 28 per cent to harness racing.”

“This means there will no longer be Standardbred harness racing in Yorkton as well as Saskatchewan in 2014 and into the future.”

Legislative Assembly documents from that time period show government officials also expressing concern of what the changes

When contacted for clarification and comments on this story, the provincial government referred questions to Prairieland Park. When asked if they would speak about the decisions around funding in 2012, and how this latest decision affects the province’s citizens’ livelihood, they did not reply.

“On March 12, Saskatoon Prairieland Park Corporation (SPPC) announced its decision to permanently cancel thoroughbred racing at Marquis Down. This was a business decision made by SPPC,” they wrote.

“SLGA is the regulatory body that ensures the fairness of the racing competition and is not involved in the business side of horse racing.”

Prairieland Park cited COVID-19 in a news release as a reason for cancelling the 2021 Thoroughbred racing season at Marquis Down this year. They also cancelled last year.

They stated 75 per cent of their jockeys come from the Caribbean, and said they’ve seen an overall 90 per cent reduction in operations and estimate in excess of $2-million in losses for the year.

In March, they then announced the permanent cancellation of horse racing, signalling the end of the sport in Saskatchewan.

“The decision to end Live Thoroughbred Horse Racing at Marquis Downs remains unchanged … At this time, we do not have anything to add that was not already stated,” wrote Prairieland Marketing Manager Kristy Rempel in an emailed statement.

Matt Love, NDP MLA for Saskatoon Eastview and Opposition Critic for Parks, Culture and Sport and Tourism Saskatchewan, calls the whole situation “very complicated.”

“These people have every reason to be upset. This sport has existed in one form or another for over 100 years. The provincial government has just gone entirely silent on the issue,” he said.

“We’re talking about hundreds of jobs, and people who may need to leave the province. We lead the country in out-migration and have for years. This is another situation where folks – veterinarians, trainers, and more – can’t make a living from this anymore.”

He notes neighbouring provinces have provincial funding for horse racing, and says the changes in 2012 just don’t add up.

“Our provincial government needs to talk about this. Their silence is an invitation for families to up and move. Where there’s a will, there’s a way, but right now it doesn’t look like this government has the will to help,” he said.

Nicole Hein – who has become an advocate for this cause – feels Prairieland didn’t do enough to keep harness racing around.

“Their technology to do with betting is that it’s old. They always talked upgrades, but never did them. Winnipeg brings in so much money from betting, and has a successful operation, but there was never any investment here,” she said.

“An estimated $37-million could be lost a year from the end of this. From ticket sales to food and beverage and so much more, it’s sad there’s no support. This is a big community here, and people just don’t want to give up on this.”