Positive Delay Regarding Kawartha

Published: February 22, 2018 12:46 pm EST

Today (Thursday, February 22) was the scheduled day for an official announcement in regard to the future of Kawartha Downs. The announcement has been delayed, though, and officials have been cited as saying that the delay is a positive development.

News of the situation comes courtesy of a Thursday report by Global News.

Kawartha officials opted to not go into detail regarding the change in plans, which has taken place within the last 24 hours, according to the report. Global News was able to quote the unnamed KD officials as saying that a “major development” has caused the cancellation.

Cavan Monaghan Township Mayor Scott McFadden has commented on the situation via social media, stating “Last minute developments resulted in the announcement being cancelled ... expect an announcement within a couple weeks. Orazio Valente is doing an amazing job to secure long term sustainability of harness racing at Kawartha Downs and I’m very optimistic because of his leadership.”

News of Kawartha’s desire for more race dates in 2018 had been front and centre during recent months. On the heels of a strong 2017 live campaign in which it hosted 18 race dates and brought in new ownership and a new general manager, Kawartha applied for 40 live race dates for the 2018 season, despite the region’s new gaming operator, Ontario Gaming East Limited Partnership, intending to relocate the track’s gaming offerings to the new Shorelines facility in Peterborough. Ontario Racing later denied the track’s request for 40 race dates in 2018, which led to much feedback and fireworks at Queens Park.

Earlier this month, Jeff Leal, Ontario's Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, had intimated that an announcement in regard to Kawartha’s future could be coming soon, and that he had been discussing a plan with Ontario Finance Minister Charles Souza. Leal stated at the time that he was not at liberty to divulge any specifics in regard to the discussions.

Kawartha Downs, which is located just south of Peterborough, has been open since 1972.

The Peterborough Examiner has also penned an article on Thursday's developments, which includes comments from many of the parties involved. To read the article, click here.

(With files from Global News)

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