When Eldorado Scioto Downs opens on Friday night for live harness racing, many won't realize what a monumental task it really was. Lost on some, but most definitely not those living in Ohio, will be the incredible coordination and cooperation that was necessary to go from "Pandemic" status into the reopening of the first harness track in North America. "There has been incredible support from the horsemen, both harness and thoroughbred," said Joe Morris, Senior Vice President for Racing with Eldorado Resorts Inc. From the moment Ohio Governor Mike DeWine gave the go-ahead to begin Phase One of his reopening plan, Morris and the Ohio Harness Horsemen’s Association quickly coordinated a near-impossible timeline that would allow them to open with a full complement of races within a two-week framework. "It was critical that we got horses qualified," said Morris. "That's why when we set up the 16 qualifiers for this past Saturday and Sunday, we did so with conditions attached." In doing so, Morris helped pave the way not just for the betting public to have charted lines, but to ensure that the track wouldn’t be short horses and unable to put out a balanced racing card. While all horsemen were anxious for the return, given the state of what is expected from all during a post-lockdown phase, Morris set up important protocols that were designed for maximum safety and efficiency. "We still have eight barns on the grounds that are empty," said Morris. "We used them for horses to ship in and we've made certain that the stalls are reserved for horses from the same stable." In this way, Morris has secured that cross-contamination is unlikely to take place, even when horses ship-in, since the same people will be using the same space. As for race paddocks, separation and sanitization was followed flawlessly during the Friday and Saturday qualifying races. "We had two races in at a time and once they cleared out we went and completely sanitized all of the areas," said Morris. The process was repeated and 16 races were completed in roughly three hours time for both Saturday's and Sunday's qualifying sessions. "With qualifiers being held at the Delaware Fairgrounds this week, I think we’ll have at least 750 horses that are qualified and ready to race by this weekend," said Morris, who will need every horse available to put on a five-day-a-week racing program. "We (Eldorado Resorts) definitely wanted to be first to reopen and when given the opportunity by the Governor, we did everything we could to make that happen safely," said Morris. Eldorado Scioto Downs will open on Friday with a 6:30 p.m. post time as the first harness track in North America to return from lockdown. Morris, who just began his role with Eldorado on February 24, has had a whirlwind of events since joining the company, but his experience with harness and thoroughbred horsemen has obviously paved the way for the meteoric speed at which the track will reopen. At the same time, the reopening does come with certain caveats, most notably the lack of fans in the stands. "That's a tough thing for horse owners and their families," said Morris. "I know that as an owner myself that you want to be there when your horse races and that's something we just can’t have right now," said Morris. "Harness racing more than thoroughbred racing has more families that come out and support the horses." While no fans will be present when the track opens on Friday, Morris has worked hard to create a new buzz surrounding the racing product at the Columbus, Ohio five-eighths oval. "We've brought in Gabe Prewitt to help with the simulcast. Gabe’s done a great job with social media," said Morris. "We're trying to freshen things up a little bit." With that in mind, the betting program at Eldorado Scioto Downs will offer a 'Players' Pick 5 with a 14 percent takeout, as well as two separate Pick 4's linking the first four races on the program and the last four races on the card. A 20-cent Pick 6 wager with carryover will also be part of the wagering menu, along with three Pick 3 wagers and the addition of a late daily double. There will be many 20-cent and 50-cent minimum wagers as well on the card, according to Morris. Of importance to all horsemen that will race in the coming weeks is the overall purse fund. Morris has worked closely with the horsemen's group to come up with an initial plan that will work to help horsemen who have been idle for three months while safeguarding the purse account. "Without knowing when the casino will reopen, we've decided to cut back the purses by 25 percent," said Morris. "We all hope the casino can open at the earliest possible time, but if it doesn't we should be safe at this level." Fortunately, there is a solid purse account base and Morris predicted that the track should average about $140,000 for each of its racing programs. Eldorado Scioto Downs will race a 5-day/night schedule that will be somewhat altered for its opening weekend. "We're going to race on Memorial Day but go with a 6:30 p.m. post time," said Morris. "I don't want to be running head-on into Santa Anita during the afternoon." While the track has never been part of the TVG offering, Morris is in conversation with the network and is hopeful to have the track showcased there at least for the coming weeks. "I just got off the phone with TVG," Morris said Monday. "We're hoping to be featured on Friday and Saturday nights," Morris said. The complete weekly schedule will feature afternoon racing on Tuesday's with a 2:00 p.m. post time and racing nightly Wednesday through Saturday with first-race post time at 6:30 p.m. There will be 14 races per card. While Phase One of Ohio's reopening plan puts no restrictions on horses arriving from out-of-state, Morris was quite firm in his commitment to local horsemen. "We're open to those horsemen who competed here last year. We’re not taking on stables that just noticed we’re open first and want to come in," said Morris. "There's no restriction on horses crossing state lines, but where we are located, most will be local." For Morris, who was hired by Eldorado to help manage what is expected to be six racetracks for the casino company, he’s already had to help manage a crisis in Florida (Pompano Park announced barn area closure) and has spent time in Indiana planning for the acquisition of both Hoosier Park and Indiana Grand from parent company Caesars. Now he has quickly helped Eldorado get Scioto Downs to the starting line first with a sharp plan to gain valuable exposure in a racing market hungry for action.