No Extra Days for Kentucky Downs in 2015
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Under a plan approved Oct. 15 by the tracks involved, Kentucky Downs will continue to offer just five race days in 2015 but the Franklin, Ky., track will pick up an additional Saturday and offer two of its race cards before Churchill Downs begins its September race dates.
Coming off a 2014 meeting in which it enjoyed track-record handle, Kentucky Downs had hoped to add two additional race dates for a total of seven in September 2015. It had proposed racing all four Saturdays in September (5, 12, 19, 26) and Wednesday cards on Sept. 16, 23, and 30.
But Churchill Downs opposed that plan and representatives from those two tracks, as well as Ellis Park, which will race in early September next year, sat down with Kentucky Horse Racing Commission executive director John Ward Oct. 14, to negotiate. The KHRC race dates committee facilitated that meeting, encouraging the tracks to reach an agreement but noting it would make a recommendation on its own, if the tracks could not resolve the issue.
Without an agreement from the tracks, the KHRC race dates committee did not make a recommendation on September racing at its Oct. 14 meeting. It said it hoped the tracks would come up with a plan before the full meeting of the KHRC Oct. 21.
On the afternoon of Oct. 15, the KHRC sent out a release that the tracks had reached an agreement. As the race dates committee said it would prefer the tracks hammer out an agreement, the plan figures to have the support of that committee and the full commission when it meets in less than a week.
Kentucky Downs president Corey Johnsen said that while the track was not able to pick up race dates for 2015, it will continue to pursue additional race dates in future years.
Churchill was concerned about adding dates that would overlap with its September schedule. Churchill Downs racetrack president Kevin Flanery said the agreement shows the state's tracks are willing to work together.
"Churchill Downs applauds the spirit of compromise that led to the agreement on 2015 racing dates and we appreciate the leadership of executive director John Ward and the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission that was essential in reaching this agreement," Flanery said. "Most of all, we appreciate the agreement as a signal that all Kentucky tracks are focused and working together to deal with the issues of field size, a dwindling supply of available horses, and the impact of shrinking foal crops that affect us all."
Ellis Park will receive the four September dates it requested, Sept. 4-7, the final date being Labor Day. Kentucky Downs will race on the holiday weekend, Saturday, Sept. 5, a day Ellis also will offer racing.
Kentucky Downs had requested its second date be Wednesday, Sept. 9, but that date was moved to Thursday, Sept. 10. Churchill Downs had requested to open its meet Thursday, Sept. 10, but it will now start Friday, Sept. 11. It's request of 12 September dates was reduced to 11 race days. Keeneland will open an expanded 20-date meet on Oct. 2 next year. That meet will end with the two-day Breeders' Cup World Championships Oct. 30-31.
Ellis Park will be listed as the host track from Sept. 1-7 and Churchill will be the host track from Sept. 8-30. Kentucky Downs had proposed that it serve as host track for 12 days in September. A host track in Kentucky retains a larger share of simulcast revenue.