Constructing incentives to maintain trainers and horses racing within the Bluegrass state was the centerpiece of dialog through the April 5 Kentucky Horse Racing Fee’s Thoroughbred Improvement Fund Advisory Committee assembly.
Amongst matters mentioned have been Turfway Park‘s just lately concluded winter/spring meet, the switch of Kentucky Thoroughbred Improvement Fund assets towards Ellis Park‘s upcoming summer time racing season, enhancements at Kentucky Downs and Ellis—together with allotment of KTDF funds in direction of these two tracks.
Chip Bach, basic supervisor at Turfway, stated he’s happy with the figures on the finish of the meet together with a 62% enhance in deal with 12 months over 12 months for a $56 million enhance from 2022—a complete of $145 million for this 12 months. He says that the acquire in deal with may be attributed to a bigger area dimension which elevated from 9.1 to 9.78.
“Of all these numbers, I believe our area dimension is the one which’s giving us all the eye for every little thing else,” Bach stated. “We’re going to be stingy in defending (and) ensuring we’re related to nice area sizes going ahead…Ever since Churchill had bought us, (our) area dimension has been fairly sturdy.
“We nonetheless have been at 9 horses per begin in 2022, and clearly we have given considerably extra purse cash away however I believe the truth that we have invested within the racing floor, the racetrack itself, I believe we’ve got a fairly good buyer expertise now. However undoubtedly the purses are bringing actually high-quality horses over; the races have all been fairly contentious. It isn’t like we have seen a one-to-one win each race, day by day. We have a complete bunch of recent trainers that had left Turfway some time in the past who’re coming again.”
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Racing at Turfway Park
The conclusion of Turfway makes method for different spring and summer time racing in Kentucky together with Keeneland which begins April 7, Ellis Park’s summer time meet which begins July 7, and Kentucky Downs’ week-long meet which is slotted to kick off Aug. 31. Each Kentucky Downs and Churchill Downs Inc.’s harness racing observe Oak Grove requested to switch KTDF funding to Ellis which incorporates $1.75 million and $1.1 million respectively. The movement to just accept the switch was carried by the committee however is topic to KHRC approval.
Of the KTDF funds, Ellis plans to make use of $3.7-$4.4 million throughout their meet which will likely be roughly 23% of the general purses. Their maiden particular weight races will likely be value $70,000, a $10,000 enhance from 2022. They are going to look to card 9 races per day against eight for the 2023 meet, which would be the first underneath CDI after the corporate bought the observe for $79 million final 12 months.
As a part of the Kentucky Downs preview weekend, which is able to run seven stakes races Aug. 5-6, the Pucker Up Stakes (G3T), beforehand meant to be a part of the Churchill Downs‘ Arlington Million (G1T) undercard, will likely be run at Ellis with a handbag enhance to $300,000 from $200,000 in 2022. It was scratched from the cardboard final 12 months with the intention to protect Churchill’s turf course.
Enhancements are additionally shifting ahead on the Henderson, Ky. oval in keeping with Ellis’s basic supervisor Jeff Inman who says that a number of points of the power are receiving well-needed changes.
“We’ve loads of work happening right here…We’re seeing loads of engineers on the bottom. We’ll begin continued building work on the grandstands which is able to begin tomorrow,” Inman stated. “We’re presently engaged on our entryway cover to supply a extra pleasing entrance. Numerous work goes into the water and drainage state of affairs at Ellis Park. Churchill is taking some main steps to provide you with a complete resolution versus the piecemeal ones we have seen up to now.”
Work can be being carried out throughout the state in Franklin, Ky. at Kentucky Downs the place a brand new lodge is near being accomplished, and restore of twister harm can be underway in keeping with vp Ted Nicholson.
“The lodge (115 rooms) will likely be carried out by the point we race which will likely be good…We had twister harm on a pair barns so we’re within the technique of shoring these up. We’re (additionally) going to construct a (two-story) horsemen’s perch,” Nicholson stated. “It can permit horsemen to go up and watch the race to get a greater chook’s eye view of it than what they have been getting. It will be in between the paddock and stewards stand…We’ll be doing much more asphalting to maintain mud down.”
One Timer wins the 2022 Franklin-Simpson Stakes at Kentucky Downs
Kentucky Downs plans to make use of $10.1-$11.1 million of KTDF funds for his or her September meet which incorporates $150,000 maiden particular weight races—consistent with final 12 months’s meet. In addition they plan to card 10-11 races per day through the week and 11-12 for the weekend which can be conventional for the observe.
Motions to just accept each Ellis Park and Kentucky Downs’ allotment of KTDF funds have been accepted however are topic to KHRC approval.