KY Regulator Considers Three Harness Track Applications

The race dates committee for the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission will consider bids from three current track owners to take over the Standardbred racing license abandoned by Thunder Ridge and launch a new harness track in the Oak Grove area.

Two of the three track owners to apply for the Standardbred license are Kentucky Downs and a combined submission from Churchill Downs Inc. and Keeneland. The other application is from the owners of the Paducah, Ky. harness track Players Bluegrass Downs.

Of course the big attraction is the historical racing games that would go along with approval of that license. The games, which look like slot machines but base winning combinations on previously run horse races and payouts on a pari-mutuel formula, have successfully generated money for purses and track owners in the state. 

Oak Grove is close to the Tennessee border, where added gaming is not allowed. The Churchill-Keeneland application, filed under WKY Development, calls for 10 live dates of harness racing to initially be held at Trackside Louisville before being moved to the Oak Grove location. The Kentucky Downs plan calls for racing next season at Oak Grove from Oct. 10-Nov. 11, with 15 live dates.

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Race dates committee chairman Frank Kling Jr., who also chairs the racing commission, said he will put together a spreadsheet that will allow committee members to readily compare the economic benefits of the three plans. He said he's started on the spreadsheet and will meet with the tracks to fill in any blanks.

Committee members Doug Hendrickson and Ken Jackson will travel to the three potential sites and attempt to assess local reaction, specifically whether residents there would want and support racing and pari-mutuel wagering. Along those lines, the committee also hopes to conduct an informational hearing in the area this month.

Hendrickson said he will contact the Kentucky Cabinet for Economic Development to help assess the potential impact of each plan. 

The committee is acting on a tight deadline, as any racing license would have to be approved by the KHRC by Nov. 1. Kling said should the committee recommend awarding a license for Oak Grove, he anticipates that recommendation would include one of the three applications. He did add that the commission would be given all information ahead of any vote on the new license.

Meanwhile, in more traditional action for this time of year, the committee recommended a 2019 Thoroughbred racing schedule that mirrors the current season. Kentucky Downs president Corey Johnsen said his track did not apply for additional dates. 

As for the future, Johnsen said the track is open to suggestions on adding race dates, and if there's a plan that works for the circuit, they would be interested in offering more racing.