Packed Grandstand Ushers in New Era of Racing in Kansas

It was a picture-perfect day in Kansas Oct. 17—the sun shining, a blue sky without a single cloud, and the thundering of horse hooves on a dirt oval. The latter used to be just a distant memory in the hearts of Kansans, but on this Saturday it was the beginning of a new era. For the first time since 2008, Kansas held official live horse racing at Eureka Downs. Financial struggles led to Eureka Downs and other tracks in the state ending their pari-mutuel racing in 2008, and Eureka held a few exhibition Quarter Horse races in 2009-10 before closing officially in 2011. The track sat dormant until just about a year ago when Gov. Laura Kelly signed into law a 3% tax on historical horse racing machine gaming to support the state's racing and breeding programs. Through volunteer work, the grown-over track was redone and the facility restored—excitement building to get racing back as soon as possible. READ: Excitement Builds as Racing Returns to Kansas That facility was put to the test Saturday as the crowds piled in, long lines forming through the parking lot to the street to gain entry to the historic return. The day began with Kansas Racing and Gaming Commission chairman David Moses, state representative Duane Droge, and Eureka Downs general manager Mike Weiss cutting a ribbon at the entrance from the paddock to the track, officially opening Eureka Downs for racing. "If you look around, this is the result of Kansans working toward an important goal," Moses said to the crowd. "Due to the efforts of a bipartisan group of Kansans, we're gathered here at Eureka. "From our ranches and farms to the small towns in Kansas, the horse has always been a part of our story. Today, we bring that story back to life. For too long, Kansas has been missing the thunder of hooves, the roar of the crowd, the excitement at the starting gate, and that unforgettable moment when horses turn for home and race for the finish. Today, we reclaim that. To every horseman, jockey, owner, breeder, trainer, volunteer, and Kansas family who helped make this day possible, thank you." The packed grandstand roared as the gates opened for the first race on the 10-race, mixed-breed card, a 250-yard allowance for Quarter Horses. Alejandra Martinez's Tela Leaving You, trained by Felesha Gold, held on for a nose victory in a $27 upset. The win was extra special for jockey Roman Cruz, who picked up his first win since missing time with a foot injury while putting his name in the record books as the first winner in Kansas' new era. "It's a blessing," Cruz said. "She left out of there and she was ready. They were catching her, but she held on just right. It feels really good." Cruz praised the large crowd adding to the excitement, as did jockey Curtis Kimes, who rode Kingston Lady to victory in the first Thoroughbred race one race later. Kimes had ridden a few times at The Woodlands near Kansas City before it closed, but never at Eureka. He compared the crowd atmosphere to the same level of excitement he usually rides in front of in Nebraska. "It's exciting, they have a pretty good crowd," Kimes said. Another area of praise from riders, including Cruz, was the racing surface itself. The 5-furlong oval was completely redone as part of a $2.2 million project. All 10 races were completed without incident and the track received high praise despite receiving enough rain earlier in the week to cancel two mornings of training. One source of praise came from multiple graded stakes-winning trainer Robertino Diodoro, who won the day's sixth race with Charles Garvey's Thoroughbred Tiger in My Tank, ridden by Alex Birzer. "(Birzer) said the track's awesome," Diodoro said. "That's half the battle. I give these guys a lot of credit." Trainer Jeff Schindler, winner of the seventh race with Rafael Pena's Thoroughbred Shake Up, praised Weiss and track superintendent Brandon Reinhart for the track condition. "I like the track, they did a really good job," Schindler said. "Mike Weiss did a tremendous job, you can't give him enough credit for what he's done here. The track man, Brandon Reinhart, one of the best. Just look at this track after all that rain." Both trainers also complimented the purses, which averaged $24,100 per race on opening day. Diodoro said he was unaware Eureka Downs was opening until about a month ago when the track's director of hospitality Skip Anderson sent him a message. "I started looking at the purses," Diodoro said. "We need new racetracks open, why not come and support the place? This is awesome, and to watch people walking three blocks from parking their cars, it's cool." Diodoro has horses stabled about three hours away at Remington Park in Oklahoma and believes Eureka will be a great option for horsemen in the region as its number of race days and purses expand. He also said he plans to start looking for horses to specifically run over the bullring—track ovals that are under a mile in distance. "I think bullring racing takes a certain horse and a certain rider," said Diodoro, who spent over a decade at the start of his career racing on bullrings in Canada. "It's all about positioning and, a lot of times, it's not the best horse that wins, it's the horse that handles the bullring." Weiss said he was encouraged by the level of trainers and owners who are signing up to compete in the inaugural six-day meet. "I think Kansas racing definitely has a future," Weiss said after seeing the first day. "There are people who purchased a farm in Wichita to breed. I saw some other track management here, owners. Some top trainers came in for these purses. It wasn't just a crowd, it was owners and trainers that came." The Kansas breeding industry is virtually nonexistent given the absence of racing in the state. Stakeholders are hoping it will grow as, from the money earned in the 3% tax on HHR, about one-third goes to the Kansas Horse Breeding Development Fund, allowing them to offer purse bonuses and awards for Kansas-bred horses. The rest goes to the Fair Horse Racing Benefit Fund to operate the track. Schindler, who primarily trains in Nebraska and runs at Prairie Meadows in Iowa, said his owners with Pan Am Racing, who started Olympic Flame in the day's second race and have Powerful entered in the sixth race Oct. 18, purchased a farm in Kansas within the last year with the intention to start breeding in the state. There is still room to grow the product. The track did not simulcast off property, Weiss saying that step will likely come in a few years if the purses and HHR money continue to increase. The on-track crowd, which numbered north of 2,000, wagered $67,570 on the 10-race card. Still, the excitement of the crowd for racing to return was the dominating story, and one stakeholders hope to keep brewing for years to come. "I'm just elated about it," Kansas Horse Council executive director Justine Staten said. "We've waited so long to see this come back. To see it come back smoothly with everybody in such a good mood and happy, it does give me great hope for the future." The population of Eureka is about 2,223, according to the United States Census Bureau, but Weiss was proud to see so many spectators traveling from out of town, including people from Missouri, who had parked their trailers in the lot several days in advance. "This is really a small town to begin with, so we're reaching into the population just to get help, to have people working here," Weiss said. "It's amazing how many people jumped in to become a mutuel clerk, or sell admission, or to work the bar. It was exciting that they were all passionate enough to see this open. "But then to see the crowd that walked in the door and the lines out the door. It was a long day, and every single race they were just so happy to have the sport back here. The crowd didn't come from Eureka, they came from hours away. It was something special." Weiss said with the track now open, one of the keys will be to get more permanent stabling for the horses. The barns in place were the few that existed before the closure, with horsemen volunteering to fix them up enough for the meet. "We need some barns. That's probably the toughest part of this place is the stabling," Weiss said. "It's a little bit each year, but they have something that's going to grow here."