Meyocks part of Ellis Park bid

Terry Meyocks, a former top official with the New York Racing Association, is currently representing an investors' group that is contemplating the purchase of Ellis Park in Henderson, Ky., Meyocks said Friday.

"I'm working with a group that has an interest," said Meyocks, who lives in Lexington, Ky. "I'm not able to offer any more details than that."

Meyocks's involvement was first reported in the Louisville Courier-Journal on Friday.

Ellis Park is one of six tracks owned by Churchill Downs Inc. The Louisville-based company put Ellis on the block several years ago, but very few serious bidders have come forward for the struggling track.

Because the company consolidates financial results for Ellis with its operations at Churchill Downs in Louisville, it is difficult to determine how Ellis has performed financially. One indication, however, is that Churchill has devalued the track by $10.7 million since purchasing the property for $22 million in 1998, according to financial records.

A spokeswoman for Churchill Downs, Julie Koenig Loignon, said the company would have no comment on the Ellis Park sale.

"As a matter of policy, Churchill Downs does not comment on rumors or speculation regarding its development activities," Koenig said.

Meyocks resigned at the end of May from his position as vice president of memberships and industry relations for the National Thoroughbred Racing Association, a Lexington-based trade group for the racing industry. Meyocks came to the NTRA after resigning in 2002 as the chief operating officer of the New York Racing Association.