Kentucky racing commission to discuss new licence
The KHRC will meet this Tuesday to assess three licence applications for a new harness track and casino.
US.- The Kentucky Horse Racing Commission’s race dates committee has announced it will meet up this Tuesday to assess three licence applications for a new harness track and casino. The requests were filed by a partnership of Churchill Downs and Keeneland; Kentucky Downs; and Players Bluegrass Downs, a Kentucky Quarter Horse track that is owned by casino giant Ceasars Entertainment.
The three proponents are looking to get authorisation to open a harness track that would also host a casino that operates historical horseracing machines. The requests will be discussed by the race dates committee, which last met in 2015.
Churchill and Keeneland are looking to get harness race dates for 2019 at Churchill’s Trackside training centre, a location that already hosts a casino, opened a few days ago. However, said licence would then be transferred after 2019 to the proposed Oak Grove location, near the Tennessee border, according to the partnership’s application.
Governor Matt Bevin has historically been against new casino authorisations but, as he loses popularity ahead of the 2019 election, operators have reset their push for racing licences in the state as a new face could soon be calling the shots.
