NEWS
Ellis Park, Kentucky horsemen reach agreement
Posted: Saturday, July 05, 2008 3:01 PM
RON GEARY
Photo by Z
Ellis Park owner Ron Geary and Kentucky horsemen reached an agreement on Saturday that will allow the Henderson, Kentucky, track to open on Friday.
The Kentucky racing circuit faced a vast summer gap after Geary decided to close Ellis Park, citing a disagreement with horsemen regarding the distribution of account-wagering revenue, prior to its scheduled opening on July 4.
Among the items agreed upon by track management and the Kentucky Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association were that the track would match the demands of the Kentucky HBPA and contribute to the Ellis purse fund an amount equal to 6% of advance-deposit wagering handle or one-third of the takeout from wagers placed through ADW companies on Ellis races, whichever is greater. That rate is nearly three times the previous contribution, which track officials said could possibly result in a purse increase for races in the latter part of the meet.
The horsemen also agreed to disseminate Ellis's signal to all ADW outlets, including Television Games Network and HorseRacing TV, for all live racing at Ellis.
Under the agreement, Ellis will be able to maintain live racing five days a week with the possibility of making up the five days of canceled racing that resulted from Geary's closure announcement.
"The longterm viability of Ellis Park hinged upon our ability to be carried on all the ADW signals—including TVG and HRTV—Ellis Park had already negotiated," Geary said.
The Kentucky HBPA sent a letter to Geary on June 26 informing him of their intention to block Ellis Park’s racing signal to all advance-deposit wagering outlets.
Geary on Tuesday filed for a restraining order with the federal court in Owensboro, Kentucky, to prevent the horsemen from blocking the racing signal. The judge ruled on Wednesday against issuing a restraining order, clearing the way for the horsemen to block Ellis from participating with ADWs, which led to the closing of Ellis Park.
