Ellis Park

Ellis Park will reopen for Historical Horse Racing (HHR) gaming this Monday at 10 a.m. Following coronavirus safety protocols, the facility will be limited to 33% occupancy and every employee and guest will have their temperature measured before entering. Ellis Park has been closed since Mar. 16 due to the global pandemic. Gov. Andy Beshear late Thursday afternoon approved the opening of Kentucky tracks' (HHR) operations starting Monday under similar restrictions placed on restaurants. Gaming terminals available for play will be at least six feet apart, with Ellis Park reconfiguring...

Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear announced on Thursday that the state's four historical horse racing (HHR) facilities can re-open Monday, June 8 after having been shuttered due to the coronavirus pandemic. The Kentucky Equine Education Project (KEEP) released the following statement in response: "KEEP applauds Governor Beshear's announcement that historical horse racing (HHR) facilities can reopen on June 8, 2020. KEEP commends the Governor and the horse industry for working together on this solution, which will allow the facilities to operate at one-third capacity and provide a safe environment for the...

As the Kentucky Thoroughbred Development Fund (KTDF) closes in on the three-month mark without being able to generate money via historical horse race (HHR) gaming and on-track wagering, Bill Landes III, the chairman of the fund's advisory committee, warned in a public teleconference meeting Wednesday that the money that gets allocated to pay a portion of purses on the state's racing circuit is running dangerously low. Although no specific dollar amounts were mentioned about how dry the funding is because of the recent COVID-19 business closures, a real-life example of...

Keeneland Race Course will be seeking a short summer race meet after losing its spring season to COVID-19 closure. Yet management at the Lexington track is trying to be mindful that such a move would have a ripple effect not only on Ellis Park, which traditionally has the Kentucky circuit all to itself during that time frame, but also the horse populations and stakes programs at Saratoga and Del Mar, the bi-coastal heavyweights that dominate American racing in the mid-July through Labor Day window. "We're looking to run an abbreviated...

The Kentucky Horse Racing Commission (KHRC) unanimously voted at a special meeting Thursday to allow Churchill Downs to shift five "optional" Wednesday race dates from its spring meet to Sept. 1-5 to accommodate the track's coronavirus-related rescheduling of the entire Tuesday-through-Saturday GI Kentucky Derby race week. The KHRC's approval came after two other Kentucky tracks that have already been granted traditional race dates during that September time block indicated they would be amenable to working out a compromise for the betterment of the entire circuit. That means Ellis Park will...

Javier Barajas, who has tended to racetracks and courses around the globe, is Ellis Park's new track superintendent. Glenn Thompson, a veteran of almost 70 years maintaining the track, helped Ellis Park become one of the safest racetracks in the country and will continue to work with Barajas. "We now have two of the best and most-respected track superintendents in the world working at Ellis Park," said Jeff Hall, Ellis Park's Director of Racing Operations. "While Javier and Glenn have very different backgrounds, they share fierce determination to do what is...

When Dennis' Moment (Tiznow) romped to a 19 1/4-length maiden victory at Ellis Park Saturday, the performance drew obvious comparisons to another Albaugh Family Stables runner who graduated impressively at the Henderson oval three years ago. Not This Time (Giant's Causeway) carried the operation's blue and white silks to a 10-length maiden score in August of 2016. He went on to add an 8 3/4-length win in the GIII Iroquois S. and came up just a neck short of champion Classic Empire (Pioneerof the Nile) when second in the GI...

Dennis' Moment (Tiznow) went wire-to-wire in impressive fashion at Ellis Park Saturday afternoon to become a TDN Rising Star for trainer Dale Romans and the Albaugh Family Stables. The well-regarded Dennis' Moment was given ample support at 5-2 in his career debut going five furlongs at Churchill Downs June 23, but he clipped heels, unseating rider Robby Albarado and failing to finish the race. Coming into this off a pair of inspiring morning works, including a five-furlong bullet move in :59 flat at Churchill July 15, the $400,000 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga...