Michigan racetracks Northville Downs and Sports Creek Raceway have each made the news today (Wednesday, Oct. 31), as the state’s gaming control board has made announcements in regard to the future of live racing at both of the facilities.
As an article by mlive.com explains, the Michigan Gaming Control Board has given its approval for 26 dates of live Thoroughbred racing to be held at Sports Creek Raceway on Fridays and Saturdays in 2019. The dates are contingent on there being a deal in place by December 1, 2018 for the property to be either sold or leased, along with other conditions.
The article states that AmRace & Sports LLC is the entity that has applied for the licenses needed in order for live racing to be resurrected at Sports Creek. AmRace has confirmed that it is in talks to acquire the Sports Creek property, but a deal is not complete as of yet.
Standardbred racing was not mentioned in regard to the 2019 plans for Sports Creek, but, as mlive.com has explained, the MGCB has announced that it has approved for there to be 44 harness racing dates for Northville Downs next year.
A drone captures the action while high above Northville Downs (Image courtesy Northville Downs)
It was announced this past April that, even though the property had been sold, live harness racing and simulcast wagering will continue at Northville Downs’ current location through 2020. At the time, Northville stated that it was in the process of exploring multiple other locations to develop a first-class, state-of-the-art racing and gaming facility that the state would be proud of.
"We are cautiously optimistic about the reopening of Sports Creek and the re-establishment of Thoroughbred racing in Michigan," the gaming control board’s executive director, Richard Kalm, has been quoted as saying via release. "It's good for the industry when fans can enjoy both harness and Thoroughbred racing live in Michigan."
(With files from mlive.com)