Prairieland Park is excited to be a part of the discussion/negotiation with the Canadian Premier Soccer League (CPL) and Living Sky Sports and Entertainment to bring Saskatchewan's first, and only, professional soccer league to Saskatoon.
At the same time the Board of Directors of Prairieland Park has come to the difficult decision to permanently cancel Thoroughbred racing at Marquis Downs after a 50-year relationship with the sport. The decision to end Thoroughbred Horse racing was not come to lightly, however, the opportunity presented by CPL and Living Sky Sports will help lead Prairieland into the future, and the board felt it was the time to transition the track space at Marquis Downs to accommodate this new venture.
Marquis Downs is the only Thoroughbred racing track in Saskatchewan, Canada. There was no racing in the Canadian province in 2020 due to COVID-19, and last month, a potential investor pulled out of negotiations to host a 2021 race meet.
The Board recognizes the financial pressures felt by industry members in the wake of the announcement to end Thoroughbred Horse Racing at Marquis Downs, and will offer financial compensation in a one-time payment to horse owners. For each horse that ran in three or more races in 2019, Prairieland will pay $1,000 to the horse owner.
Prairieland is proud of its agriculture heritage and will continue to support the agriculture industry through annual events like the Western Canadian Crop Production Show, Saskatchewan Equine Expo, Beef Expo, Gardenscape, and our youth programs such as; Garden EXperience, Ag EXperience, Youth Leadership Conference and the annual steer sale. Those Prairieland produced events, along with the
community events hosted in the dedicated Ag Center on the property will remain a cornerstone of our ongoing commitment to agriculture in the province.
Additionally, Prairieland continues its negotiations with First Nations Groups to create and operate a First Nations Equine School and Indian Relay Racing Event at the Park.
More details on this and other discussions will be released as those plans are developed.
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