It has been reported that officials with the Ontario Harness Horse Association have put the Dresden Agricultural Society in touch with the Lakeshore Horse Racing Association in an attempt to offer some guidance.

An article by the Chatham Daily News explains that OHHA General Manager Brian Tropea believes that input from the Lakeshore group could help the Dresden Agricultural Society secure a 2015 Racetrack Operator's License in order to offer live racing at Dresden in 2015.

A report last week explained that the Ontario Racing Commission recently informed the Dresden Agricultural Society that it has decided to delay the issuance of a 2015 Racetrack Operator's License to the agricultural society for Dresden Raceway. The report stated that news of the delay came via letter from the ORC to the agricultural society, which took over operation of live racing at Dresden in 2014. On December 5, 2014, the ORC announced 11 proposed Dresden race dates for the 2015 season. The proposed dates would kick off on May 31 and end on August 3. On December 19, the ORC announced that the proposed 2015 race date schedule for Dresden had not yet been approved and that the proposed dates were still under review, pending the submission of certain documents.

Tropea has told the Chatham Daily News that he is hoping officials from the Lakeshore group will be able to assist the members of the Dresden Agricultural Society.

“You've got the provincial government and the federal government that require reporting, so it's a fairly complicated process,” Tropea was quoted as saying. “I'm hopeful that once they get in touch with the people from Lakeshore they can assist them to file whatever is lacking and that they'll be able to get their licence.”

Speaking of how important it is for horsepeople that Dresden be racing, Tropea went on to say, “We have racehorses and we need racetracks to race them at,” He later added, “Anything that we can do to help out we're absolutely going to do for (the Dresden Agricultural Society).”

(With files from the Chatham Daily News)