by Frank Angst and Tim Nichols

The Ohio State Racing Commission rejected proposals by River Downs and Beulah Park to offer just two days of Thoroughbred racing each next year.

In a meeting on Thursday in Cincinnati, the two tracks both submitted plans to race just two Thoroughbred cards next year. This year, River Downs was approved for 105 live dates and Beulah Park for 119 Thoroughbred dates.

The commission’s executive director, Sam Zonak, saw the requests for just two dates each as a negotiating ploy as the tracks work with horsemen on next year’s schedule.

“I told them, ‘Look guys, we go through this every year.’ August 15 is the deadline. The commission is required to act promptly and we’re ready,” Zonak said. “I realize they’re negotiating, but they know this date comes around every year. They should have been more prepared.”

Zonak said he would like to have racing dates finalized by October and that if the tracks fail to offer a reasonable amount of dates, the commission will just approve any sensible plan offered by Ohio horsemen.

Thistledown submitted a working plan to race 91 days next year but said it is still talking with horsemen.

Beulah Park requested 28 Quarter Horse dates and River Downs asked for 14 Quarter Horse dates, plans that Zonak said would be approved.

Both River and Beulah report difficult times.

Currently, wagering on races at River Downs and Thistledown is not offered by major advance deposit wagering providers TVG, HRTV, TwinSpires.com, and Youbet.com because horsemen have not approved the track signals to be sent to ADW outlets. Horsemen are negotiating an increase in the percentage of ADW handle committed to purses.

“We’re a little track and not a big Magna [Entertainment Corp.] or Churchill [Downs Inc.] track,” River Downs general manager Jack Hanessian said. “We’re just a little guy trying to survive and we need every dime, and it’s impacted us very seriously.”

In addition to the ADW issue, Beulah Park general manager Michael Weiss cited the lack of slot machines in Ohio. Racetracks in Indiana, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia offer slot machines.

“Basically, being surrounded by slots is difficult to deal with when we’re running races for $3,600 purses and they’re offering $12,000 purses,” Weiss said. “It’s the same horses going back and forth to these places. … Our horses can compete at these places and it makes it difficult to keep the fields going when they can drive an hour and a half for triple the money, and I don’t blame them.”

In June 2007, Churchill Downs Inc. purchased AmericaTab from Beulah Park and River Downs as part of a larger $80-million acquisition. AmericaTab had been a successful ADW outlet owned by the two tracks.

Ohio Horsemen’s Benevolent and Protective Association Executive Director Dave Basler expects the date situation to be worked out.

Frank Angst is senior staff writer of Thoroughbred Times

Tim Nichols is a Thoroughbred Times TODAY assistant editor