Great Western Harness Racing Circuit President Darryl Mason has commented on the Manitoba Government’s recently announced short-term plan for the provincial horse racing industry.

News broke late last week (click here, here and here) that the Province of Manitoba has now opted to pay out five years of a court-ordered legal settlement with the Manitoba Jockey Club over a three-year period. The decision was made in order to allow more capital to be available to sustain the industry while the government works on a long-term plan. The MJC operates Thoroughbred racing at Assiniboia Downs.

"We have to support (the horse racing industry) in some way or fashion,” Manitoba Agriculture Minister Ralph Eichler has been quoted as saying. “It's a $34-40 million income tax return for government. It creates about $112 million a year … through tourism and raising revenue, 1,100-1,200 jobs. It's a big business for Manitoba."

The announcement of the revised three-year payment structure has come shortly after the government released the final report from an external review of Manitoba’s horse racing industry. The review focused on the long-term and short-term sustainability of the provincial industry. For more on the report, click here.

In addition to the $34-40 million income tax return for government and the 1,200 jobs that the industry produces, the report came to the conclusion that Manitoba horse racing has an economic impact that falls somewhere within the range of $125 - $142 million.

While in discussion with Discover Westman, Mason stated that "The new report included Red River Ex, and it would have included extra days. So now, staying status quo means we're not losing anything, but we're actually not gaining what we had hoped, either. We will continue to work with them the best we can to make it successful."

Mason went on to say that he currently doesn’t know what the newly-announced deal looks like, and he took the opportunity to clarify how the Great Western Harness Racing Circuit currently receives its funding.

"It's not a grant that we get from the province,” Mason explained, “but we get a portion of what is bet at Assiniboia Downs. So it's actually coming from horse racing in the province."

(With files from the CBC and Discover Westman)