La. Racing Commission approves Louisiana Downs sale, calls Fair Grounds' request to bar Broberg 'premature'
The Louisiana Racing Commission on Tuesday approved the sale of Louisiana Downs in Bossier City, La., to Rubicon Acquisition Corporation. The matter was one of several topics addressed on a packed agenda that included an update on the track lighting issues at Delta Downs in Vinton, La., and extensive repairs made at Fair Grounds in New Orleans following Hurricane Ida.
Fair Grounds also addressed the commission about its desire to bar trainer Karl Broberg from participating at its upcoming meet.
Caesars Entertainment and VICI Properties announced in September 2020 an agreement to sell Louisiana Downs, which has a slots casino, to Rubicon Acquisition Corp., in a $22 million deal subject to regulatory approvals. A Caesars representative told commissioners the Louisiana Gaming Control Board licensed Rubicon Acquisition last Thursday and that Caesars was supportive of the new group taking over the “first of November.”
“We’re committed to making the transition as smooth as possible,” said Joe Morris, a racing executive with Caesars.
Louisiana Downs completed its Thoroughbred meet in September and opens for a Quarter Horse meet in January.
Delta to continue day cards
Delta Downs, which was scheduled to race nights on Friday and Saturdays, will continue with daytime posts for the immediate future as issues with the track’s new lighting system are addressed. The commission voted to extend daytime racing for 30 days then reevaluate the situation, unless solutions approved by all relevant parties are made ahead of that timeline.
Delta lost its track lighting system when Hurricane Laura hit in August 2020. The new lights were put in use for the first time on Oct. 15, but half of the card and the program for Oct. 16, were called off after riders raised concerns about shadows.
Delta officials told commissioners it has two plans to address the lighting – a temporary one for the immediate future and a permanent one that will take about six weeks to implement. The track is in the process of adding five temporary light “plants,” with two on each turn to add more lighting to the bends. There also is work being done on “blending the lights better,” a representative of a construction company working with Delta told the commission. The improvements could be reviewed as early as Wednesday night by jockeys, horsemen, track officials, and an expert consultant.
Delta will still have a 12:55 p.m. Central post this Friday and Saturday, as well as next Friday and Saturday due to its entry schedule. The commission is seeking a “unified front” from all concerned parties before giving approvals to resume night racing on Fridays and Saturdays.
The permanent plan for the lighting system is to add 39 additional “fixtures” that will take about four weeks to arrive due to supply chain issues and two weeks to install in a six-week project that will not impact training hours or racing, according to officials.
Fair Grounds hurricane repairs
Fair Grounds gave the commission an update on the extensive repairs it has made to its facilities following Hurricane Ida in late August. A representative from the track said Fair Grounds lost two barns in the storm, totaling 104 stalls, which Churchill Downs Inc., the parent company of Fair Grounds, intends to rebuild at a later time since Fair Grounds opens its meet Nov. 25.
Fair Grounds also sustained damage to the living quarters in nine barns, lost half of its fencing, and had damage to the track’s lighting system. The official said the living quarters are now ready to receive backstretch personnel, the fencing has been replaced, and the lighting system has been addressed. Damage to the jockeys’ quarters is due to be repaired by Nov. 20.
Fair Grounds also lost its toteboard, which the official said has been in place since the late 1940s or early 1950s. The track will use a temporary one this meet before introducing a “high-tech, LED board” for the meet that extends from 2022-2023. The storm’s reach extended to the turf course, leaving standing water in some areas. Those spots have been corrected with new sod and the official said the turf course would be ready for the opening of the meet.
Fair Grounds also had to shut down 15 of its offtrack betting sites due to storm damage, but had 13 back up and operating as of Tuesday. The track will begin receiving horses Oct. 31 and training will commence Nov. 2.
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Fair Grounds is set to run 80 dates through March 27, 2022. A request to trim four dates from the schedule due in part to the loss of stalls in the storm and how that might impact entries was deferred by the commission Tuesday. The panel wants to assess how entries proceed and will take up the issue again in the middle of December. The dates requested to be dropped were Jan. 3 and Jan. 10 and Feb. 14 and Feb. 21.
Fair Grounds wants to bar Broberg
In other business, Karl Broberg, a leading owner and trainer in North America and a regular at Fair Grounds, was the subject of an item calling for his “exclusion” from the New Orleans track after CDI in September issued a statement that his entry and stabling privileges at all of its properties were indefinitely revoked.
The matter concerns a horse who returned lame from a race at Churchill. The commission said it would be premature for it to take up the issue as there is not a known stewards' ruling on the matter. The commission voted that Broberg is eligible to run horses in the state because his license is in good standing in Louisiana.
* The commission on Tuesday also presented a draft of rules covering wagering on historical horse racing for public comment, and approved four rules amendments that will go into effect after a final publication period, which will be about the time the meet starts at Fair Grounds.
The amendments included addressing waiver claiming and medications prohibited for Quarter Horses.