Attendance, Business Please Wyoming Racing Officials

Wyoming Downs and 307 Horse Racing today announced a record-breaking finish to the 2026 live racing season, delivering the largest purse payouts in the state's history, packing the stands and providing an economic boost for communities across the state. Across 38 race days, Wyoming Downs in Evanston and Energy Downs in Gillette ran 375 races, welcomed more than 22,500 fans through the gates and paid out over $6.3 million in total purses. "Record purses, strong participation and increasing attendance demonstrate that Wyoming horse racing continues to gain momentum," said Kyle Ridgeway, President of Wyoming Downs and 307 Horse Racing. "Our focus remains on reinvesting in the industry and creating opportunities for horse owners, breeders, trainers and communities across the state." The impact of live racing extends well beyond the racetrack, Ridgeway said. Ridgeway added, "Every race meet brings visitors who stay in local hotels, dine in local restaurants, and support businesses throughout the community. That's why horse racing remains an important economic driver for many Wyoming communities." Evanston did the heavy lifting on attendance, with Wyoming Downs welcoming over 21,000 guests and several days seeing more than 2,000 attendees. The track ran 195 races, 129 for Quarter Horses and 66 for Thoroughbreds, and paid out more than $3 million in purses, up from $2.8 million in 2025. The track also employed 126 seasonal workers. On June 28, 307 Horse Racing set a new record with the $298,150 307HR Open Futurity, the fattest single-race purse ever in Wyoming. This stakes race is a top event for 2-year-old Quarter Horses, with both the trials and the championship final held at Wyoming Downs in Evanston. The final race day at Wyoming Downs on August 8 featured a Governor's Cup Futurity with a hefty $270,400 purse, a $20,000 donation to the Wyoming Hunger Initiative, and a race in honor of former Wyoming legislator Leland Christensen, who helped pass legislation to revive horse racing in the state. 307 Horse Racing's Energy Downs at the CAM-PLEX in Gillette averaged roughly 300 attendees per race day, totaling about 1,500 fans. The track hosted 180 races with 121 for Quarter Horses and 59 for Thoroughbreds and paid out more than $3.3 million in purses, up from $3 million in 2025. Energy Downs employed 45 seasonal workers. In 2026, the joint venture invested over $1.3 million in upgrades at Wyoming Downs to improve the experience for fans, horsemen and horses and to help the track keep growing. Since 2024, about $6 million has gone into improvements for the grandstands, IT systems, barns and safety features. Wyoming Downs and 307 Horse Racing are owned by a joint venture between ECL Entertainment, Clairvest, L.P. and Wyoming-based WERCS (307 First). The joint venture runs Wyoming Downs, Derby Club and Lucky 7's gaming parlors throughout the state. Additionally, the joint venture operates Wyoming's only privately owned racetrack as Wyoming Downs in Evanston and runs live horse races as Energy Downs in Gillette. Over 400 Wyoming residents are employed at its gaming and racetrack properties and corporate offices in Casper and Cheyenne. In 2025 alone, the joint venture generated more than $45 million in state and local tax revenue, contributions to the Wyoming Breeder's Award Fund and local community investments.