KY Downs Ready for Meet With Record Purses

As Corey Johnsen bustled about Kentucky Downs on a steamy hot Sept. 4 afternoon, the president of the track near Franklin, Ky., mused about his expectations for the boutique meet set to begin the following day.

With a record $7.5 million in purses that will be paid out over five race days, Kentucky Downs will be offering 50 all-turf races, attracting some of the top stables from all over the country. Other than its huge purse structure fueled by the success of the historical racing gaming machines, the track is distinctive in that its undulating European course at 1 3/8 miles actually has three turns.

As the short meet at Kentucky Downs, which opened in 1990 as Dueling Grounds and offered steeplechase racing, was set to begin Sept. 5, Johnsen said he did not really know what to expect, especially since this will mark the earliest start for the meet and it coincides with Labor Day weekend.

With its purse structure bursting at the seams, Kentucky Downs has requested additional racing dates, but has been rebuffed by Kentucky Horse Racing Commission because the dates overlap with a September meet at Churchill Downs.

But by doubling the track's marketing budget and doubling the number of pari-mutuel windows and terminals available for bettors, Johnsen hopes the track will attract a good crowd.

"One of the challenges you have with a meet like this is not knowing how many people you are going to get," he said. "But the worst thing is not to have enough betting windows. I don't think we'll know tomorrow (if the additional marketing worked) because we have never run on Labor Day."

The Labor Day weekend start was in part because the Breeders' Cup World Championships are being held at Keeneland Oct. 30-31. Johnsen said Keeneland officials wanted Kentucky Downs to start earlier than normal to give horses an opportunity to race at the Southcentral Kentucky track, then at Keeneland in its regular meet, and then in the Breeders' Cup.

Also for the first time, the track has several paid premium seating options, including an air-conditioned tent that will seat 350, and an area adjacent to the clubhouse to accommodate tailgaters, not unlike a steeplechase atmosphere.

"We've always had a lot of tents, but this will be the first time we've had premium seating, most of which will be at the finish line," said Johnsen, between tasks such as helping to set up the carpet in one of the premium tents and making phone calls to take care of other details. "Although we usually attract 5,000 to 6,000 fans with free admission, we know there is demand for premium seating."

With three $120,000 maiden races, a pair of $125,000 allowance events, and three $300,000 stakes on the opening-day card, Kentucky Downs has attracted some of North America's leading trainers, including Hall of Famers Bill Mott, D. Wayne Lukas, and Jack Van Berg, as well as Mark Casse, Wesley Ward, Joe Sharp, and Mike Maker.

Johnsen said he is most proud of the condition of the turf maintained by year-round, not just in the months leading up to the short race meet, by track superintendent Ron Moore.

"I think this is one of the fairest turf courses in North America, because we have this sweeping turn going into the stretch and then we have one of the longest stretches of any turf track in North America," Johnsen said.

Beyond opening weekend, Johnsen said additional unknowns include how well the track's handle will fare Sept. 10, the first time Kentucky Downs has ever raced on a Thursday.

"I am taking an optimistic approach to Thursday," Johnsen said of the weekday card. "I know attendance will be limited that day, but we will be the best simulcast signal that day and we know that 85% of our wagering comes from off-track. Every eyeball that wants to play simulcasting that day will give us a look."

It also doesn't hurt that Kentucky Downs is consistently ranked by the Horseplayers Association of North America as being among the top tracks in North America for bettors.

Johnsen said one of his goals for the meet is to have a noticeable increase over last year's record handle of $15,880,755 which shattered the previous record of $12,814,967, established in 2013, by 23.9%. Field size was an impressive 10.2 starters per race.

But mostly, Johnsen said, he wants the on-track experience for patrons to improve so that he and Kentucky Downs can make a solid case for more racing dates.

"My expectation from this meet is to give fans a really good experience so it gives (regulators) a reason to give us more racing dates," Johnsen said.