Supporters of Saskatoon's Marquis Downs asking city councilors to save horse racing track

A delegation of horse racing supporters will be speaking to city councillors Monday morning in an attempt to stop the closure of Saskatoon's Marquis Downs track.

In March, Prairieland Park announced it would be permanently cancelling races at the park and was in talks with Canadian Premier Soccer League (CPL) to build a soccer field on the old race track and bring a professional team to the city. The team could play its first game by 2023.

Since then, horse racing advocates have been trying to save Marquis Downs. Speakers will address councillors at the planning, development and community services meeting beginning at 9:30 a.m. CST on Monday.

"I wouldn't call it our last line of defence, but it's another step that we're taking in order to raise awareness about our issue," said apprentice jockey Nicole Hein, who will be speaking at the meeting.

"We want to really put the issue in front of the people who can make the changes that we need in order to save the industry."

Prairieland Park has hosted horse racing for the past 50 years and is seen as an important hub for the horse racing community.

The closure has created waves across the Indigenous community as well. It's estimated that 40 to 50 per cent of all people involved in horse racing in the province are Indigenous.

"It's sad to see a racing industry that's been there for years and shutting down," said Poundmaker Cree Nation Chief Duane Antoine, who has personally been involved in horse racing for more than 25 years.

"It's a meeting place for everybody, not just First Nations people."

The city has been clear that Prairieland Park is a separate business that is not within its control. While the city leases land to Prairieland Park, and the park must obtain council approval for any new building in the area, the city does not control business decisions. 

Prairieland Park has said that running horse racing had become too difficult and expensive, and that an increasingly crowded betting field with online casinos meant the challenges had become too great.

Hein said a separate non-profit corporation should take over horse racing at the park and thinks council could play a role in that.

"They would be able to look at the lease of Prairieland Park, which we have asked to be amended, and the land that Marquis Downs sits on be signed over or leased out to another another party who's interested in taking care of it."

Hein said building a new track would take too much time and would be another setback to a group that has already lost two racing seasons to COVID-19.

She said many people are tired of being given the runaround and that council should take action.

"Enough with the excuses, please," she said.

"There's a bunch of people's livelihoods on the line that you're just watching fall apart. Take a serious look, at the least."

Calls to Prairieland Park were not returned.