Fonner Park Cuts One Day From Race Meet

Fonner Park, the small track in Grand Isle, Neb., that has seen unprecedented mutuel handle as a result of racing a Monday through Wednesday schedule while many other North American tracks were closed because of the COVID-19 pandemic, has cut one day from its remaining schedule.

The track will not race Wednesday, May 20. Following the May 13 card, it will have five days of live racing remaining, concluding on Wednesday, May 27. The track that has been conducting live racing with no spectators was initially scheduled to close at the end of April but received regulatory approval for an extended second season in May.

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Fonner Park CEO Chris Kotulak said the track has had reduced field sizes in recent weeks, and the move to cut a day of racing was two-fold: to eliminate the temptation for horsemen to over-race their horses, and to keep the field sizes at a level that would be attractive to bettors.

"My first concern is that horses are not over-raced," Kotulak said. "Over the last two weeks, we've had eight-race cards except today when we had nine, and the field sizes have been shrinking. This one-day reduction is a preemptive step in helping us all compensate with the reduction of horses available to race. Some 75-85 horses might be getting an extra week of rest as a result of this.

"Apart from that, horseplayers do not like betting on small fields. There are now increased options for horsemen to race and relocate, and the market share of Fonner Park is becoming reduced with horseplayers having additional racetracks upon which to wager."

Kotulak said he wanted Fonner to continue the momentum the track has had during the two race meets that have garnered national attention to the track.

"I am grateful that horsemen have come to run their horses with us at Fonner Park, and I am grateful that we were able to pull off the feat of no-spectator racing for nearly 10 weeks," Kotulak said. "But the party is winding down."

There will be a break in Nebraska racing following the Fonner meet. The Columbus Exposition and Racing meet scheduled to begin May 29 has been canceled after county officials determined the meet could not be held because the county has become a "hot spot" for the novel coronavirus, Kotulak said, and the cancellation of the meet at Horsemen's Park in Omaha enabled Fonner to race in May.

"That's it for racing in Nebraska for the foreseeable future," Kotulak said, adding he is hopeful that Horsemen's Park would be able to hold limited live racing.