The last relics of Windsor’s horse racing history were auctioned off Tuesday.
Everything from tractors, to light stands; even an old race car were up for grabs at the auction.
The biggest prize was a diesel generator which originally cost about $500,000. It went to a Winnipeg farmer for $55,000 who felt he got a deal, “Feeling very happy. I think its real value is $160,000. It’s a good buy.”
Auctioneer Adam Storey admits things moved fast at the auction, “Some things have gone quick, smaller items the general public can take home; light fixtures.”
At various times there were about a hundred people on hand at the auction, including some former employees, like Joe McGorisk who spent more than 40 years working at the track, “It’s like a burial ceremony, in effect. This is the end.”
Considered one of the leaders in Ontario’s harness racing community from the 1960s until his retirement in 2004, McGorisk was the head of the racetrack’s marketing and promotion effort, “It was a lot of fun, because it was so immediately successful.”
The future of the racetrack’s building and property hasn’t been decided, but McGorisk doesn’t see racing returning to Windsor.
