Delaware Park's future owner says no big changes planned

A representative of the partnership that has reached an agreement to buy Delaware Park in Wilmington told the state’s racing commission on Thursday that the company does not have immediate plans to implement major changes to the racetrack, according to a published report.

Ron Baumann, a former general manager at Indiana Grand and Harrah’s Philadelphia racetrack, told the commission that he has been selected by the company to run the racing operation at Delaware, which also owns an adjacent casino and sports book.

“I don’t have any changes planned as we sit here today,” Baumann told the Delaware Thoroughbred Racing Commission, according to a report in The Racing Biz, a Mid-Atlantic-based racing website.

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Two weeks ago, Clairvest, a Canadian private equity company, announced that it had reached an agreement to buy the track and its casino for an undisclosed price. Clairvest has stakes in The Meadowlands Racetrack and Casino in New Jersey, along with several other casinos properties.

A spokesperson for Clairvest said on Friday that the company could not make officials available for comment on Delaware Park due to pending approval of the purchase agreement. A horsemen’s representative at Delaware said on Friday that the group has not had discussions with Clairvest officials because the company and its officials have not yet been licensed.

Delaware Park has been owned by the Rickman family since 1983. William Rickman Sr., who bought the track, died in 2005. His son William Jr. has overseen operations at the track since 1993.

In 1995, Delaware Park received approval to open a casino at the track, greatly reviving its fortunes. But the racing operation exists in a crowded marketplace, and, like most tracks in the Mid-Atlantic, it has struggled in the summer months to attract full fields of horses.

Baumann, who appeared in front of the commission to field questions from commissioners, said that Clairvest intends to review the track’s schedule and its stakes program, according to The Racing Biz.

“I think there will be a number of things that are going to help promote racing and field more horses and generate more racing revenue,” Baumann said.

In Delaware, only licensed racetracks are eligible to receive casino licenses.