TORONTO -- When it comes to live sports in Canada, horse racing is first out of the gate and Manitoba will be the first province to get back in the saddle.

The pandemic has shutdown casinos across the country, but one form of gambling is making a comeback. Manitoba’s main horse racing track will open this week, giving a boost to the floundering industry.

Winnipeg’s Assiniboia Downs will see live thoroughbred racing three times weekly starting Monday.

However, the sport will look a little different: there will be no fans in the stands. Spectators will watch the races online.

Darren Dunn, the CEO of Assiniboia Downs, said they are “excited,” to be the “first in Canada to open.”

“We have the protocols in place to do it,” he added.

Pandemic preparations for the 2020 season means no crowds, no corporate or group get togethers, and no buffets — which usually sold out during the racing season.

“We had to lay off 50 people, which was difficult to do, but the right thing for the industry,” Dunn said. “For live racing, we’d normally bring on another 100 plus people, [but now] we will bring on half of that.”

The races will be live-streamed or televised, and betting on the horses is moving online.

The same model is being adopted at Canada’s biggest horse-racing track, Woodbine Racetrack in Toronto, which is aiming to open in early June with its own pandemic protocols in place.

Horse racing frequently sees jockeys and trainers travelling across borders to different events or races, something that is no longer possible.

Long-time trainer Shelley Brown says new measures to keep the backstretch safe means even the owners of these prize-winning horses are being told to stay away.

“Which is tough,” Brown told CTV News. “You know, they have a tough time not being able to come and see their horses they’ve invested time and money in, but we are doing it for the betterment of everyone involved, trying to keep it safe.”

The pandemic is postponing some of Canada’s biggest races, and its oldest, The Queen’s Plate, which will run in September instead of June.

The Manitoba Derby, however, is still scheduled for August. Track CEOs are holding out hope that maybe by then, spectators will be able to fill the stands once more.