Like the reports on Canterbury Park, KD is hopping. Too far apart for the managers to be drinking the same water so it has got to be the position of the moon.
http://www.bloodhorse.com/horse-racing/articles/215059/another-handle-spike-for-kentucky-downs
Absolutely wonderful!
I was so proud to be a part of this meet again this year! It was truly the best year ever!
And the quality of horses was phenomenal.
The fans were amazing. Not only did the local crowd turn out in force, but the amount of folks who traveled to attend as a spectator was unreal. I talked to people who flew in from CA just to see the races!
It’s come a long way from the first day I set foot on the track 10 years ago, with the metal bleachers in front of a white trailer, standing on the dirt, watching a bunch of cheap claimers run…
Then you will like this link.
I went to KY Downs for the first time this year (I’m actually the author of that blog) and definitely recommend it. I’d love it if the track got more dates but that seems like an uphill battle against the big KY tracks. A few extra dates in late spring/early summer would be really cool.
[QUOTE=gotpaints;8851006]
I went to KY Downs for the first time this year (I’m actually the author of that blog) and definitely recommend it. I’d love it if the track got more dates but that seems like an uphill battle against the big KY tracks. A few extra dates in late spring/early summer would be really cool.[/QUOTE]
Great blog! You did a wonderful job of capturing the Kentucky Downs experience. 
[QUOTE=LaurieB;8851253]
Great blog! You did a wonderful job of capturing the Kentucky Downs experience. :)[/QUOTE]
Thanks! It was a fun track to go to. I’m not sure the track could handle a month of racing during one meet (it was pretty chewed up where they had the rail the first three days) but I think that an 8-10 day meet twice a year would be perfect since they have a decent amount of room to play with the rail to keep the track fresh for those days.
[QUOTE=gotpaints;8851432]
Thanks! It was a fun track to go to. I’m not sure the track could handle a month of racing during one meet (it was pretty chewed up where they had the rail the first three days) but I think that an 8-10 day meet twice a year would be perfect since they have a decent amount of room to play with the rail to keep the track fresh for those days.[/QUOTE]
They’ve been trying to get more dates. I’d love to see a spring and fall meet, which would give the course enough time to recover, because it does take a beating by the end of the meet, especially when the rain comes.
Churchill Downs, Inc. has NOT been receptive to more racing days allotted to Kentucky Downs, though.
I sure wish everyone would work together instead of against one another. I understand they all have to make money, but I would assume more racing activity in Kentucky would be good for everyone.
[QUOTE=Texarkana;8851540]
They’ve been trying to get more dates. I’d love to see a spring and fall meet, which would give the course enough time to recover, because it does take a beating by the end of the meet, especially when the rain comes.
Churchill Downs, Inc. has NOT been receptive to more racing days allotted to Kentucky Downs, though.
I sure wish everyone would work together instead of against one another. I understand they all have to make money, but I would assume more racing activity in Kentucky would be good for everyone.[/QUOTE]
Yep, we joke around up here that the only thing Keeneland and Churchill get along about is denying KY Downs days because they are threatened by the track. I think it especially irks CDI that KY Downs has so much handle and that the horsemen are always raving about the track and running their horses there instead of at CD’s September meet.
The only reason Keeneland isn’t quite as vehemently against KD is there isn’t as much overlap in dates- right now the two meets compliment each other, they aren’t direct competitors. But when KD put in for spring dates a few years ago (or at least talked about it), suddenly Keeneland became incredibly vocal on the subject. :lol:
The loss of handle does hurt CDI. But it’s also only a few days a year. I don’t understand why they can’t try to find some way to be more flexible.
KD puts their surplus back into their sister track, Ellis. That’s pretty generous. If CDI would work with KD instead of against them, they could probably find some middle ground and a way for everyone to profit.
CDI is … CDI. For them, it always seems to be their way or no way. The politics in this sport can get really outrageous.
Great stories coming from KY Downs.
http://www.kentucky.com/sports/horses/alicia-wincze-hughes-blog/article103436002.html
Keeneland & Kentucky Downs are far better in my opinion than Churchill ever thought about! The hospitality at both KD & KEE is above and beyond what I have experienced from CD… In fact, CD could do with a good lesson from KEE or KD. KEE will always be my favorite, but KD is a lot of fun!
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