According to the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission, Kentucky Downs in Franklin recently applied for a license to open a harness racetrack in Oak Grove near the Tennessee border. Caesars Entertainment, owner of Bluegrass Downs harness racetrack in Paducah, also applied for the state’s ninth license for a racetrack in the same general location. And, it’s the same area where Churchill Downs and Keeneland plan to jointly build a harness racetrack.
Kentucky Downs President Corey Johnsen said, “We appreciate the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission opening up applications for new licenses. For a number of years we have been working with the Kentucky Harness Horsemen’s Association and the City of Oak Grove to fill a void in the standardbred circuit and to create an entertainment and tourist destination in southwest Kentucky that complements existing businesses and enterprises.”
Kentucky Downs officials said the company plans to invest $45 million to build Oak Grove Meadows on 80 acres near the intersection of I-24 and US 41-A. It will offer 15 days of racing from October 11 to November 10, 2019 plus 500 Exacta Systems gambling terminals available year-round.
Johnsen said Kentucky Downs also plans a $25 million expansion at its Franklin location, including doubling its gambling terminals to 800 in a new equestrian complex.
Churchill Downs and Keeneland’s proposed $125 million racetrack in Christian County would not be completed until 2020. As a result, the two companies jointly requested a 10-day harness racing meet at Louisville Downs for 2019. In 2020, the new track will offer 15 permanent dates, officials said. The highlight of the Churchill Downs/Keeneland project would be 1,500 historical racing machines.
As of September, Kentucky had 2,734 gambling terminals at the Red Mile in Lexington, Derby City Gaming in Louisville, Ellis Park in Henderson and Kentucky Downs in Franklin, according to state gaming regulators. The games have generated more than $20 million for the Kentucky general fund plus millions more for Kentucky racing purses since they went online. Most of the $4 billion wagered has been returned to players as winnings.
The conservative Family Foundation of Kentucky has filed a lawsuit against the games, claiming they are illegal slots. The case is pending in Franklin Circuit Court.
Caesars has not released any details regarding its proposed track or race dates.
