Officials with the St. John’s Racing and Entertainment Centre have announced that the track will be hosting 10 cards of live harness racing this year, starting this Sunday, August 4.
A release from the track has stated that simulcasting has already started back up.
Things did not look so good just a few months ago, when officials with the track had told Trot Insider that the sport would cease to exist in the province due to the government’s lack of support and new taxation policies, although, things have now changed.
"With all of uncertainty in the industry, we have come to an agreement on a three-year contract with the Newfoundland Harness Horse Owners Association (NHHOA) and will be holding 10 local live race days in 2013, starting Sunday, August 4 and concluding October 13," officials with the track said via release. "We will continue to work together to try and make the sport grow within the province and a three-year contract gives us the opportunity to do so."
The contents of the release appear below.
St. John’s Racing and Entertainment Centre to hold 10 Live Horse Racing Days in 2013
After six months of no wagering or live racing at St. John’s Racing and Entertainment Centre in Newfoundland and Labrador, things are back on track with simulcast wagering already started and local live races returning Sunday, August 4 at 2:00 p.m.
With all of uncertainty in the industry we have come to an agreement on a three-year contract with the Newfoundland Harness Horse Owners Association (NHHOA) and will be holding 10 local live race days in 2013, starting Sunday, August 4 and concluding October 13. We will continue to work together to try and make the sport grow within the province and a three-year contract gives us the opportunity to do so. Collectively, we will be devoting more time and resources to the promotion of the sport and a long-term sustainability plan going forward for the horse-racing industry in Newfoundland and Labrador.
We would like to thank Keith Gowan, president of the NHHOA, and all the people that worked together to get racing on The Rock back up and running --- and most importantly our faithful fans and customers that stood by us while we worked diligently to get wagering back.
For updates on some of the promotions we will be running over the summer as well as for our full live racing and simulcast schedules please visit our website at stjre.com or our Facebook page.