Where’s the “Kentucky Downs” harness meet?

The Franklin, KY racetrack – fueled by gaming and Kentucky Thoroughbred Growth Fund cash — has turn into a jewel of the game.

by Dean Towers

I completed wagering on the final race of the Kentucky Downs thoroughbred meet on Wednesday, and I used to be unhappy to see it go. The racetrack, located simply north of Nashville, represents one thing fairly particular within the sport of horse racing.

Again in 2011, Kentucky Downs (previously often known as the Dueling Grounds) was actually simply one other small racetrack in southern Kentucky. It raced a five-day all turf meet, and did entice some native expertise, but it surely wasn’t on the map; actually, when in comparison with stalwarts like Churchill or Keeneland. Deal with was about $900,000 a day.

In 2012, the brand new house owners had an thought. With various gaming cash probably coming on-line, in addition to sires stake cash supporting purses, they determined to attempt to put this little observe on the map. They instantly slashed takeout charges throughout the board to a North American low, and commenced selling the meet to each clients and horsepeople.

On the time, observe president Corey Johnsen stated, “We would like Kentucky Downs to be often known as the ‘horseplayers’ racetrack. Offering worth to the betting public drives each choice we make. Our aim is to current high quality racing run over a protected, constant race course with a beautiful takeout construction and wagering menu.”

By 2014, the observe was starting to roll. Not solely had been prime trainers coming into strings to reap the benefits of the rising purses, bettors had been flocking to the sign, the place a single day deal with report of over $4 million was established. The out of doors environment of the racetrack attracted a number of thousand individuals, having fun with the distinctive turf course, creating much more buzz.

Since then, issues have simply exploded. Simply final week, over $21 million was wagered on a single card. This mind-boggling quantity is what a Triple Crown prep or Saratoga card is anticipated to deal with, but there’s Kentucky Downs, proper with them. Purses grew once more in 2022, up 11 per cent to $18 million, too.

Yearly, the development is obvious: Rising purses, rising deal with and increasingly more horsepeople coming into (and presumably breeding to reap the benefits of future progress).

Over in our sport, the sires stake program in Kentucky has been successful, with purses in 2022 anticipated to method $17 million. However aside from giant purses, there seems to be no plan concerning growing betting demand, or creating one thing particular for the game to construct on.

It’s no secret stakes racing drives each eyeballs and deal with to our harness playing cards. Large days at Mohawk or the Meadowlands are promoted, and this retains the game on the highest of thoughts of necessary folks that matter, like politicians that usually maintain the purse strings, and naturally the betting public.

With the appearance of the Kentucky Sires Stakes, profitable purses have attracted house owners and horses, which is nice, however this has been partially on the expense of different occasions. These different occasions are broadcast far and huge, driving deal with, and with a dearth of horses, some aren’t what they as soon as had been. This, for my part has a value for the complete sport.

I imagine it’s incumbent upon Kentucky to maximise the value of this beneficiant sires stakes program. One solution to obtain that’s plan and dream a bit of, as Corey Johnson did at Kentucky Downs over a decade in the past.

Create one thing distinctive, create one thing price wagering on; price going to; price being part of, past a handbag quantity. If a small observe in Southern Kentucky can turn into one of the crucial fashionable indicators within the racing world, maybe you possibly can, too.