Hazel Park Raceway to sell assets, close

HAZEL PARK (AP) — A horse racing venue north of Detroit is shutting down after nearly 70 years of operations.

Hazel Park Raceway said last Thursday that it has agreed to sell its assets and is expected to close the deal within a few weeks. Terms of the deal were not released.

About 90 employees are expected to lose their jobs. The company says it will attempt to offer services to help them search for other employment.

Hazel Park Raceway opened in 1949 with a five-eighths-mile track. It hosted only harness racing from 1985 to 2014, before switching back to thoroughbred use.

The raceway says in a release that changes in the gambling industry have had “a significant impact” on horse racing across the state.