Grants Pass Downs in southern Oregon says it has been forced to cancel its 2022 racing meet. It blames the Oregon Department of Justice ruling several weeks ago that it couldn’t legally deploy several hundred Historical Horse Racing (HHR) machines.
Grants Pass Downs, which is the state’s last operating racetrack, had applied to the state to open the Flying Lark entertainment facility that would have as its centerpiece 225 HHR machines. The $35 million entertainment center was to be built by Dutch Bros. Coffee co-founder and new billionaire Travis Boersma, who owns the racetrack. The HHR was needed to make the facility profitable, he said, and, besides, HHR machines had been used at other racetracks in the past and were authorized by the legislature.
This set off alarm bells with Oregon’s gaming tribes, who have a monopoly on casino gaming. They complained to the governor, Kate Brown, saying casino revenues would be adversely impacted. She pressured both the Oregon Racing Commission and the DOJ.
The DOJ ruled that the HHR machines violated Oregon’s constitution and the commission ruled against the Flying Lark.
Originally Boersma had said he would fund the spring, summer and fall race meets out of his own pocket, but he has now backed away from that pledge. This threatens 250 jobs at the track and the Flying Lark.
The Oregon Horsemen’s Benevolent and Protective Association, which represents horse owners, trainers and related professions, is trying to save at least the summer meet by renting the Downs and its racing equipment.
