Saskatoon’s Marquis Downs being slated for demolition

WATCH: In this archived video from 2014, a Saskatchewan chuckwagon racer calls the soon-to-be-demolished Marquis Downs the best horse track in the province.

What’s left of Saskatoon’s horse racing track Marquis Downs could soon be demolished.

Prairieland Park Corporation is asking city council to approve the demolition of the track, grandstand and horse barns that once served as the city’s thoroughbred horse racing venue, for the development of a gravel parking lot.

Prairieland leases the exhibition site from the City of Saskatoon, so any changes to the concept plan must go through council.

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In a report before the city’s planning committee on Wednesday, administrators say the track and buildings are no longer needed.

“Horse racing is no longer occurring at Marquis Downs and the buildings are past their serviceable life,” the report said.

Marquis Downs, which opened in 1969, once offered live thoroughbred racing every weekend from late May until early September.

In 2020, it was forced to cancel the season due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It never fully reopened.

In 2021, a group called Living Sky Sports and Entertainment eyed Marquis Downs as the future home of a Canadian Premier League soccer team, citing a surge in the sport’s popularity.

The following year, the group revealed plans for a new $28 million stadium.

The bid had fizzled out by 2023. The costs of redeveloping the site skyrocketed, and the partners behind the proposed team became mired in legal squabbles.

Now, the land seems destined for a much less ambitious use.

The planning, development and community services committee will discuss the proposal at its next meeting, Wednesday at 9:30 a.m. in city council chambers.

As part of the planned changes, Prairieland also hopes to extend its leased property slightly to the west to build a new 10,000 square foot facility to house Sports On Tap.

If approved by the committee, the measure will go to a vote before city council.