Horse Race Track Closing After 70 Years

HAZEL PARK, Mich. -- A horse racing venue north of Detroit is shutting down after nearly 70 years of operation.

Hazel Park Raceway said Thursday in a news release that it had agreed to sell its assets and was 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 said it would 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 said in the release that changes in the gambling industry have had "a significant impact" on horse racing across the state.