SPORTS FLASHBACK 1993: Downs deal a boost for local harness racers
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This article was published 05/11/2023 (556 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.
When the Manitoba Jockey Club (MJC) puts the finishing touches on a deal to buy the Assiniboia Downs in Winnipeg, local harness racers will see a glimmer of hope that their struggling industry can be saved.
The only opportunity for harness racers to compete in Manitoba currently lies in the summer fair racing circuit, and winnings from those weekend events barely cover the costs of keeping and training a horse. They need the extra money winning races at the Assiniboia Downs would bring in.
Art Grundy of Ste Anne started racing in Manitoba about 40 years ago, and says local horsemen are very excited because the sooner the MJC officially takes over management of the Downs, the sooner harness racers can start competing on the 35-year-old track in Winnipeg.
“The potential new owners are pretty well committed to bringing back harness racing in Winnipeg, because the government’s going in with them on the purchase of the track, with the understanding that it will be for both thoroughbred and standard bred racing,”
Grundy said when they first heard the news about the sale of the Downs, harness racers were hoping to be able to come off the fair circuit and still compete in Winnipeg this fall.
However, due ongoing negotiations between the government and the jockey club, Grundy expects a first race in Winnipeg may be next fall, possibly as early as next spring.
He says Downs racing will help to keep harness horsemen in the business, as well as breathe new life into faltering fair circuit crowds.
Some of the crowds were brought in by owners who would race their horses on the fair circuit to get them in shape for racing at the Downs in the fall and winter. It is too costly to keep a horse year-round in Manitoba, when it can only be raced at summer fairs.
Harvey Warner, spokesman for the Manitoba Jockey Club, a non-profit organization made up of thoroughbred horsemen, which has purchased the Downs for a reported $5.5 million, says the club will be working with the government to give harness racers a chance at the track, but that won’t be happening this year.
Warner said the Jockey Club will work to get thoroughbred racing back on its feet at Assiniboia Downs, and then devote time to negotiations with the harness racers.
Assiniboia Downs, located on the western edge of the city, has been open since June 10, 1958, when it replaced the Polo Park Race Track which was demolished to make way for the Polo Park Shopping Centre.