Smaller Turfway Racing Facility Focuses on Experience

When racing returns to Turfway Park Racing & Gaming this fall, fans will be welcomed by a facility built for quality—not quantity. With its historical horse racing facility set to open Sept. 1, officials for the track owned by Churchill Downs Inc. offered a sneak preview the morning of Aug. 30. For this observer, the lack of a grandstand is difficult to stomach, but Turfway officials believe they've built a racing facility that will work for today's market. In terms of viewing live races, Turfway largely will rely on a massive, event center room that will feature large windows facing the track, food and drink, and high-definition viewing screens. Nearby is a smaller simulcast room as well as an owners' suite. In the infield, a first-rate videoboard will be added to replace the former tote board. Turfway general manager Chip Bach said the facility makes sense for the track that largely offers winter race dates. "For our facility, we race from Nov. 30 to early April," Bach said. "For the other eight months of the year with the old grandstand, we had this space that we really couldn't do anything with. Now we have an event center space that we can leverage. The community has been asking for this for a long time." Bach said the space will accommodate 1,000-1,200 people for weddings, concerts, and other events. "I know people that are used to the tiered seating (for racing) were a little disappointed that they didn't see it, but those people really didn't go to Turfway Park," Bach said. "If you went to the (old grandstand) Turfway Park on a Friday or Saturday night, most of the people hung out on the third-floor mezzanine, watching the racing from above, watching it on TVs. There probably weren't more than a couple dozen people in the blue tiered seats." As far as live racing is concerned, the idea is to offer a first-rate venue for fans willing to leave the comforts of the at-home, advance-deposit wagering experience to venture out for a night of winter racing. "I think we're going to find that people really enjoy this experience," Bach said. "Not everyone will be able to stand at the windows, but we made sure we have two beautiful monitors to watch the racing." The new facility does offer a first-rate space for horsemen as the track aims to build on a 2021-2022 season in which Bach said it offered at least one stakes race every Saturday. "One of the things I was particularly happy to see was that Churchill Downs provided a great space for our owners and trainers," Bach said of the owners' suite. "When our owners and trainers are in for the day, they have the best view of the finish line, the best view of the paddock. And, they have the best access to the winner's circle...Hopefully, it gives them a reason to come out and watch their horses on race day." Turfway's main entry will be to the historical horse racing facility that will feature 850 of the machines that have the look of slot machines but base payouts on a pari-mutuel formula and determine winning combinations from previously run races. After operating a successful HHR facility in Louisville, Ky., that competes with full casinos in Indiana, CDI had the confidence to purchase Turfway in October 2019 with plans to add the HHR venue. Turfway Park Racing & Gaming senior director of publicity Gary Pecorello expressed confidence that Turfway's HHR would be able to compete with nearby casinos and racinos in Cincinnati and southeastern Indiana. He noted Turfway will offer variety through its HHR, racing, and entertainment experience, not to mention that it's a shorter trip for many in Northern Kentucky. He also noted strong growth in the area. While one only need look at CDI's closing of Arlington International Racecourse last year to know that the company largely sees racing as a means to an end, there's no arguing that the company has enjoyed success with HHR, which most assuredly has worked for Kentucky purses. In 2021 Turfway opened an annex HHR facility in Newport, Ky., that already has benefited the track. Purses for the most recent meets at Turfway from Dec. 2, 2021-April 2, 2022 averaged $322,026 a day. That average is more than three times the $92,386 offered daily at Turfway for its 2018-2019 (before the CDI purchase) dates. As for days like Jeff Ruby Steaks (G3) day, Bach noted that the track will still roll out its popular VIP tent and work to find ways to accommodate larger crowds. The Jeff Ruby offered a $600,000 purse this year, and Bach said that could grow. Also, Churchill has awarded the race for 3-year-olds top-tier status in terms of Road to the Kentucky Derby qualifying points with 100-40-20-10 to the top four finishers. This year's longshot Derby winner, Rich Strike, earned 20 points with a third-place finish in the Jeff Ruby and one point in the track's other Derby points race—the John Battaglia Memorial Stakes—to squeeze into the Derby field. With a Tapeta surface that can handle the weather and allow horses to stay on schedule training, Bach said he could see additional runners targeting a Derby path through Turfway. "We have as many points as you can get for a race," Bach said. "We're going to make sure our entry box for the Jeff Ruby and the Battaglia continue to be worthy of introducing one or two Derby horses every year." The HHR side of the facility features a large sports bar that can display racing and sporting events. Despite recent efforts by some state lawmakers, Kentucky has not approved sports wagering. Still, the sports bar area features information on upcoming games and will offer scoring updates on games in progress. It's a ready-made area for sports betting should it be approved for tracks. Oddly enough, it does not offer race wagering, but Bach said fans could use their TwinSpires app for such betting. The first night of live racing for the new facility will be Wednesday, Nov. 30. The track is finishing up work on the apron, paddock area (it will match the look of the new grandstand), and a jockeys' quarters. Turfway has invested $26 million on five new barns and a new, two- story dormitory for backstretch workers.