Newfoundland horsepeople connected to roughly a dozen Standardbreds that call The Goulds home received eviction notices by operators of the St. John's Racing and Entertainment Centre last month.
An article by the CBC has outlined how the situation at the raceway has affected both horsepeople and management.
The picturesque raceway has long been recognized as one of the most special spots to race Standardbreds in eastern Canada, but the sport has suffered in the area in recent years, due to multiple reasons, and the reality of the current situation is that the resident Standardbreds have now been told to vacate the premises.
"It's very, very disappointing,” said Brendan Walsh, the owner of Elvis, who is one of the Standardbreds that is now looking for a new home. “The racetrack has been here over 50 years. I grew up as a part of it as a young boy. It's kind of faded. The interest is not there anymore. So that's it. They have to close it and let things go.”
"Economics is the main thing," the racetrack’s general manager, Brett Whelan, was quoted as saying.
"We had to close it because we only had about a fifth of the horses that we had last year and there is just not enough money generated from the stables to keep them open."
(With files from the CBC)