Churchill Prepared for Spectatorless Racing Possibility

Participating in a video conference of the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission Race Dates Advisory Committee on April 2, Churchill Downs president Kevin Flanery said the track would consider conducting spectatorless racing this spring if COVID-19 health restrictions in Kentucky are eased.

Churchill Downs in Louisville is scheduled to begin its spring meeting April 25, though a delayed opening is anticipated because of continued safety protocols.

For a short period in mid-to-late March, another Churchill Downs Inc.-owned property in the state, Turfway Park in Florence, conducted racing without spectators, limiting attendance to participating horsemen, essential racing staff, and track employees. It closed March 25, losing the final three days of its race meet, in accordance with the "Healthy at Home" executive order issued by Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear that shuttered most nonessential businesses across the state.

"Because this is such a fluid situation, if we are asked to run spectatorless, then we will be prepared to do that," Flanery told commissioners. "Obviously, we have a lot of things to work on, but we have the experience from Turfway Park. We will be taking that guidance. Whatever scenario is put forward to us, we're trying to work through those and be ready to run at the right time."

As in many regions of the country, there is no racing taking place in Kentucky. Keeneland's entire spring meet was canceled due to safety concerns related to the pandemic.

Training has continued at some racetracks and training centers in the state, though most of those facilities, including Keeneland, have placed restrictions on the addition of horses and backstretch workers to slow the spread of the virus.

The Churchill Downs stable area, which typically opens in mid-March, has not yet opened, and officials there have established April 14 as a new target date for its opening. The track usually draws horses and horsemen from Turfway Park, Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots in New Orleans, Oaklawn Park in Hot Springs, Ark., and Florida racetracks such as Gulfstream Park in Hallandale Beach and Tampa Bay Downs in Tampa.

Churchill's premier race, the Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve (G1), has been moved from May 2 to Sept. 5, and all Derby-week ticket sales will be transferred to Sept. 1-5 race dates the track has secured, according to Darren Rogers, the senior director of communications and media services for Churchill Downs.

The track's 38-day spring meet is scheduled for April 25-June 27. 

The video conference, which drew track representatives from across the state, presented the challenges that would affect some tracks if they resume racing without spectators. Keeneland, in particular, relies heavily on its on-track handle and stakes sponsorships to fund its purses. The track had only $2 million of an approximate $12 million planned purse distribution accrued prior to what would have been the start of its meet, said Bob Elliston, Keeneland's vice president of racing and sales.

"So as we think about trying to be part of the circuit, whenever those opportunities present themselves, in whatever form it presents itself, purse creation and live racing versus spectatorless racing is going to determine what we can do in terms of the amounts of purses and the number of days that we can run," he said.

In a March 20 letter to the industry, Keeneland president and CEO Bill Thomason said the Lexington track has "taken swift action and began working with the KHRC and our track partners on the Kentucky circuit to explore opportunities for additional Keeneland race days during this non-traditional year for our industry." 

Keeneland's fall meet is scheduled for Oct. 2-24 before racing shifts to Churchill Downs. Racing then returns to Keeneland as the host site of the Breeders' Cup World Thoroughbred Championships Nov. 6-7, and Churchill is scheduled to follow with a continuation of its fall meet. 

The next full meeting of the KHRC is scheduled for April 21.