Kentucky tracks to avoid overlapping race dates next September

LEXINGTON, Ky. – The Kentucky Horse Racing Commission on Monday unanimously approved a 2016 live-racing calendar that avoids an overlap in September dates thanks to a late deal reached between Churchill Downs and Kentucky Downs.

The two tracks submitted amended dates applications to the commission last week after striking the deal, which allows Kentucky Downs to run largely unopposed during the first half of September while granting Churchill the last half of the month and part of October. Under the deal, which was reported last week by DRF, Kentucky Downs will run five live race dates, on Sept. 3, 8, 10, 11, and 15, while Churchill will run 11 race dates, beginning on Sept. 16 and running through Oct. 2.

“Frankly, I think this is a big step forward that the tracks could get together to do this,” said Robert Beck, the chairman of the commission.

Three weeks earlier, Beck had urged racetrack representatives to iron out their differences over the September dates so that the racing commission would not have to force a schedule on the tracks.

Kentucky Downs, which runs an all-turf meet with purses averaging approximately $1 million a day, had originally requested seven race dates throughout September, running as late as Sept. 29, on Thursdays and Saturdays. Churchill had requested a minimum of 12 dates throughout the month, running on a Friday-through-Sunday schedule.

The overlap and the late end to the Kentucky Downs meet had led Keeneland to join with Churchill in lodging objections to the Kentucky Downs date request. Both had asked the commission to consider granting dates in August to Kentucky Downs, even if the track did not ask for the dates.

Corey Johnsen, the president of Kentucky Downs, said after the meeting that he was satisfied with the deal that had been worked out, but he also said that Kentucky Downs is still interested in expanding its meet by several days.

“Having said that, I think it’s a good idea if all of the racetracks sit down together and work these things out,” Johnsen said.

Also at the meeting, the KHRC approved several changes requested by Churchill for its Unique Six, a jackpot-style wager in which the entire pool is distributed only if there is a single ticket that has correctly picked all six winners in the sequence. If there is not a single winning ticket in the bet, 70 percent of the pool carries over to the next day. The changes include an increase in the minimum bet from 10 cents to 20 cents and a cut in the takeout from 20 percent to 15 percent.

The bet is considered a gimmick by many serious handicappers, and last year Churchill did not start to offer the bet until after the Kentucky Derby.

Kevin Flanery, the president of Churchill Downs racetrack, said after the Monday commission meeting that Churchill would evaluate how the bet is received during its November meet before deciding when to launch the bet for its spring meet.