Officials have announced a five-year deal that includes 13 race dates in the first year for Lakeshore harness horse racing.
The Lakeshore Horse Racing Association held the news conference at 3 p.m. at the Leamington Raceway to announce the deal.
The organization has received final approval from the province on 13 race dates this year.
The race dates are slated to start Sept. 7 and run through October and include:
- Thursdays and Sundays in September starting on the 7th, plus Saturday Sept. 13th
- Sundays in October plus Thursday, Oct. 2nd
In 2013 there were only four race dates, and despite the much higher number for 2014, it's unclear how many race dates will be included over the next four years.
In April, 45 race dates were secured for southwestern Ontario to be shared between the tracks in Dresden, Sarnia and Leamington.
Officials say the deal is enough to save horse racing in Essex County and keep it running in a smaller capacity.
