Charles Town, Mountaineer Dates OK'd for 2015
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West Virginia's two Thoroughbred tracks have been approved for a total of 430 racing dates for 2015, according to schedules approved Nov. 18 by the West Virginia Racing Commission.
Hollywood Casino at Charles Town Races requested 220 programs, and Mountaineer Casino, Racetrack & Resort 210 programs. Those are the minimum number of dates the tracks must apply for under state statute.
Charles Town is scheduled to race year-round from Jan. 2-Dec. 30, with racing four nights a week (Wednesdays through Saturdays) from January to late July and five nights a week (Tuesdays through Saturdays) from late July through December.
The grade II Charles Town Classic is set for April 18; the Race for the Ribbon program, which features the grade III Charles Town Oaks, is planned for Sept. 19; and the West Virginia Breeders Classics program is slated for Oct. 10, one week earlier than usual.
Mountaineer will open March 1 and run through Dec. 21 according to its schedule. Racing would be held five nights a week (Saturdays through Wednesdays) for the 10-month season.
Mountaineer plans to offer nine-race cards through the year rather than having 10-race cards for the first half of the season. The grade II West Virginia Derby is set for Aug. 1 as part of the only afternoon program of the year.
Both tracks this year will race fewer than the required minimums. Charles Town received approval, after horsemen agree, not to make up 20 days canceled because of weather and track conditions earlier this year. Mountaineer was permitted to drop racing in December because officials projected the purse account couldn't sustain it.
Industry stakeholders in West Virginia have expressed interest in revising the statute on racing dates to allow the WVRC the flexibility to set and change schedules according to market conditions.