Horse Racing New Brunswick President Dr. Mitchell Downey has stated that live cards of pari-mutuel harness racing in the province will kick off in July, as opposed to May.

Dr. Downey has told the CBC that the delay is because the connections of some horses that won purses last year still have not been paid.

The CBC report has quoted Dr. Downey as saying that those purses still have not been paid out due to declining wagering revenues.

"Last fall, the industry experienced a dramatic decrease in revenues through simulcast wagers," he was quoted as saying. Dr. Downey went on to tell the CBC "that left us with a shortfall for paying the purse amounts. There are some purse cheques that have been issued for that account and that should be tidied up by July 1."

The article also explains that discovery dates for HRNB’s lawsuit against the provincial government have been set for this September. The racing organization announced it was filing suit against the province in regard to a memorandum of understanding that called for 150 video lottery terminals to be located and operated at racetracks across New Brunswick. The terminals have not been installed at the tracks.

(With files from the CBC)