Ten years removed from its last program of harness racing, Michigan’s Jackson Harness Raceway will host one final card of racing on Sunday afternoon (July 8) before being razed for good.

“It’s going to be a bittersweet day because it’s the end of an era,” Claudia Davidson told mlive.com. “Every horseman in the state has a passion for Jackson.”

Jackson, which opened its doors in 1948, was a popular stop on a flourishing Michigan circuit for six decades. Declines in attendance and revenue led to the final pari-mutuel program before the open-air grandstand taking place in the summer of 2008.

Davidson, one of the coordinators of Sunday’s event at the Jackson County Fairgrounds, is an owner and trainer based in nearby Fowlerville, Mich. "It is a true pleasure to raise a Standardbred from a baby and develop it into a premier athlete," she continued.

Sixty-one such equine athletes will take part in the 12-race card, with first post at 2:00 p.m. Opening ceremonies for Jackson’s grand finale are slated for 12:30 p.m.

After the final horse passes the winning post at the south-central Michigan oval, the raceway and grandstand will give way to a $6 million convention centre.

(with files from mlive.com)