Fair Grounds gets new exec

Randall Soth has been named president and general manager of Fair Grounds, which is about to be added to the Churchill Downs Inc. roster of racetracks. Soth moves over from Calder Race Course, another Churchill property, where he served as vice president and general manager.

Soth already has traveled to Fair Grounds to meet staff and begin work on the impending ownership transition. Churchill Downs Inc. is scheduled to take control of Fair Grounds by Oct. 15 after paying $47 million in a deal overseen by a federal bankruptcy court. As part of the deal between Churchill and Fair Grounds's previous owners, Bryan Krantz, whose family has run Fair Grounds for 14 years, will move from president and general manager to chairman of the board, a position guaranteed for three years.