A large crowd of local and government officials and racing representatives were on hand this morning as the official ground breaking for the new Belleville racetrack took place.

"I am truly excited," said Leona Dombrowsky, the local MPP and minister of agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs. "In respect to the horse industry in our community they have been very patient and they know there is a lot great at the end of this. We welcome Baymount to the community."

"We've worked very, very hard on this," said Graham Simmonds, president and CEO of Baymount Corporation. "We are a horse racing group. We started this company around horse racing. The name Baymount was used because our goal was to introduce Bay Street to horse racing."

"This is what we've all been waiting for," said Neil Ellis, mayor of Belleville.

"We are very pleased with the relationship we have built with Baymount, said Russ Moulton of the National Capital Harness Horse Association. "We're happy to be moving forward in the process."

Actual construction for The Quinte Racetrack and Slots complex announced this morning will begin on September 8, 2008. Metron Construction, a Toronto-based company will be the site developer.

The site, set to open in late 2009, is scheduled to hold live racing beginning in the later part of 2010.

The facility will feature a half-mile racetrack, 35,000 square-foot clubhouse and an expandable 60,000 square-foot paddock and exhibition building.

The 7,000 square-foot slot facility will house 200 slot machines.

The Quinte Slots development is the last of 18 slots at racetrack facilities across the province of Ontario.