After having met with John Snobelen and Ontario’s Horse Racing Transition Panel, there is some newfound optimism that festival-style thoroughbred meets at the Fort Erie Race Track could be a possibility for the future of the border oval.

According to a report by Niagara This Week, Jim Thibert of the Fort Erie Live Racing Consortium met with Snobelen late last week.

The article quoted Thibert as saying that the track and the FELRC “are a bit bruised right now by the tone of the report, but can see some of their (the panel’s) points.”

Thibert also stated that he believed that the panel’s assessment of the sustainability of the historic raceway emphasized the negatives and didn’t give the positives enough credence.

“We’re going to get together with Jim (Thibert) again soon to work out a path forward,” said Snobelen, who later went on to add, “Some of the best racing in the world happens on short seasons, where the horses are shipped in and shipped back out. So the question is now, can we use Fort Erie as a venue for some of that kind of racing?”

(With files from Niagara This Week)