County asked to push for 40-date season at Kawartha Downs

Peterborough County council will be asked Wednesday to lend support to a revived effort to try to bring a 40-race season to the Kawartha Downs in Fraserville.

The Ontario Racing Association announced Oct. 24 that it had rejected a request by Kawartha Downs to increase its 2018 season to 40 races from 18 races.

The 2018 season will be crucial for Kawartha Downs since the Shorelines Slots at Kawartha Downs are expected to close around October 2018 once the Shorelines Casino Peterborough opens at The Parkway and Crawford Drive.

Kawartha Downs will lose that rental income. A 40-date season was intended to make the operation more viable.

A 40-date season would mean races every Saturday night from March to December, up from the May to September season of the past few years but less than the twice-weekly year-round season the track had when it received a cut of the Ontario Lottery and Gaming revenues from the Slots at Kawartha Downs before the provincial government eliminated the revenue sharing deal in 2013.

County councillors are slated to vote Wednesday on a motion from Cavan Monaghan Township Mayor Scott McFaddon.

The motion asks for the county to show its support for the 40-race season. If approved the resolution would then be sent to provincial government politicians.

The motion would also go to all the township councils in the county for their endorsement.

Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs Minister and Peterborough MPP Jeff Leal has said he has been working on a solution to help all five Ontario horse racing tracks that will eventually lose rental revenue from slots operations.