Keeneland gets approval to shift simulcasting to Red Mile

LEXINGTON, Ky. – The Kentucky Horse Racing Commission on Wednesday unanimously approved a plan by Keeneland to shift its year-round simulcasting operations to the Red Mile, a harness track near downtown Lexington.

Keeneland officials told the commission prior to the vote that the shift will take place sometime in July, with Keeneland no longer offering simulcasts at its west Lexington location except during horse sales and its live meet, as well as on days with a major racing event, such as the Kentucky Derby or Breeders’ Cup. Instead, the Red Mile will offer simulcasts of both Thoroughbred and harness races year-round, in a partnership with Keeneland.

Since the late 1990s, bettors in Lexington have been limited to wagering on Thoroughbred races at Keeneland or on harness races at the Red Mile, in part because of regulations that encouraged the separation. Under the new arrangement, races from all breeds will be offered at the one location, a new simulcast parlor on the second-floor of the harness track.

“We believe we can create a premium product for our patrons,” Shannon Arvin, an attorney for Keeneland, told the commission. The tracks are investing $2 million in the sportsbook-styled simulcasting parlor.

Keeneland and the Red Mile are already partners in a project to operate 1,000 historical racing machines, which are slot machine-like devices that use the results of previously run horse races to generate random numbers determining payouts to players. That project, which will occupy the first floor of the Red Mile, is set to open in September.