Best Little Horse Track in Kentucky

By Lucas Marquardt 
On Sept. 22, 1826, a young politician named Sam Houston crossed from Tennessee into Kentucky, stood in a field as the sun rose over the nearby town of Franklin, and fatally shot Gen. William White in a duel that, at that point, was still legal in the state. 
Almost exactly 115 years later, the Thoroughbred racetrack built on the former dueling grounds would be looking down the barrel of a gun, at least figuratively. In 2011, Kentucky Downs was facing almost certain closure. The track was struggling to stay in the black as casino competition in neighboring states ate away at its market share. 
But there was a possible lifeline. Kentucky Downs invested $3 million in a Historical Horse Racing parlor, similar to the one put in at Oaklawn Park. Historical Horse Racing, sometimes called Instant Racing, was developed by AmTote and Oaklawn, and allowed patrons to wager into pari-mutuel pools through a video gaming device resembling a slot machine. 
Three years later, how has that $3 million bet worked out for Kentucky Downs? 
By all accounts, Instant Racing appears to be a huge success. If there were any doubts, the track’s outstanding 2014 season might well have obliterated them. In its abbreviated 5-day meet (held Sept. 6, 10, 13, 17 and 24), the track achieved a record all-sources handle of $15,880,756– up 110% from just two years ago, when $7,570,731 was bet on Kentucky Downs races. On-track growth has been less dramatic, but still impressive. The 2014 on-track handle was $744,543, up 35% from the 20012 figure of $550,757. 
It would be easy to peg Kentucky Downs’ success solely to the influx of gaming-infused purses. After all, maiden specials went for a Saratoga-esque $90,000 this season. Purses for first-level allowance races were $100,000. That, in turn, ensured full fields, generally never a problem at Kentucky Downs, which, with it’s all-turf racing, had always proven popular with regional horsemen looking to get on the lawn. 
And while Kentucky Downs’ turnaround wouldn’t have been possible without Historical Horse Racing, it would be a mistake to overlook what track officials have done to build on the momentum. Primarily, that’s meant fostering a customer-friendly environment. 
“When we bought Kentucky Downs, our goal was to be a catalyst for positive chance in the horse racing industry,” said track president Corey Johnsen, who with Ray Reid purchased a majority interest in Kentucky Downs in 2007. 
For Johnsen, that meant being on the side of the horseplayer when possible…starting with takeout rates. The takeout for win, place and show bets is currently 16%, while all exotic takeout rates stands at 19%, excepting the Pick 5 (14%) and exacta wagers. At 18.25%, the exacta takeout is one of the lowest rates, if not the lowest, in North America. 
“We want to be known as the ‘horseplayer’s racetrack,’ so we made a decision to lower our takeout to the lowest level in Kentucky,” said Johnsen. “When we lowered our exacta takeout to 18.25%, for instance, we wanted to send a message. I always thought the exacta is a staple of the everyday horseplayer, they guy who’s just grinding it out.” 
Horseplayers have noticed. Earlier this year, Kentucky Downs was the #2-ranked track by the Horseplayers Association of North America, just behind Keeneland. 
Handicappers are finding more and more to like about Kentucky Downs other than the takeout rates, said Johnsen. 
“Our jockey colony is second to none,” he explained. “Rosie Napravnik and Julien Leparoux tied for leading jockey, and we’ve had a ‘who’s who’ riding here in recent years. We’re seeing some of the top barns in the nation send horses here–including from California–and our stakes races are really developing a following.” 
That was underscored on closing day, when an oversubscribed Ladies Marathon S. was split into two divisions. 
“We’re also seeing a lot of horses who broke their maidens here, or maybe won a one-other-than, go on to be Grade I winners,” said Johnsen. “A lot of people don’t realize [GI Breeders’ Cup Classic winner] Fort Larned won a NW2X here. This year, we had Room Service and Personal Diary both win Grade I’s. We’re actually going to start a Kentucky Downs Wall of Fame to highlight those horses who started at Kentucky Downs and went on to win Grade I races.” 
Perhaps the biggest draw for horseplayers are Kentucky Downs’ robust field sizes. “We have full fields, averaging just under 10.2 starters per race,” said Johnsen. “Horseplayers appreciate an intellectual challenge, and in some of our races, we’re just not giving it to them. We, as a sport, have short fields with a dominant favorite, and that’s just not interesting.” 
Importantly, management at Kentucky Downs has aimed to ensure that the focus remains on racing, rather than on the Historical Horse Racing machines inside. Capital improvements for 2014 were substantial. 
A Duralock rail was installed before the meet. Turf renovations, including an improved drainage system, were overseen by the newly hired track superintendent Ron Moore, a respected veteran. The test barn was revamped to give state vets more room to operate. 
“In addition to the improvements we made, we also held a lot of great promotions that focused on horse racing,” Johnsen added. “We’re really proud of that, and we think it’s critically important to introduce people to our sport. We held a ‘College Day,’ and gave away a laptop after each race, for example.” 
In some instances, Johnsen’s experience with Historical Horse Racing has helped changed the way the track does business, particularly in regards to security. 
“I’ve learned a tremendous amount about the power of surveillance in handling security and integrity issues with our historical horse racing gaming center,” he said. “We have added 32 surveillance cameras to the stable area, and I believe Thoroughbred racing needs to add surveillance to its overall racing integrity system. Today, we have better testing, stronger penalties, and good investigative abilities. What we don’t have is surveillance.” 
At the end of the day, Johnsen views Kentucky Downs as a sort of successful experiment that, hopefully, can prove useful to other tracks around the country. 
“One of the best things we may have done for horse racing is to take a big step with Historical Horse Racing,” he said. “Right now, it’s going strong in both Idaho and Wyoming. Both those states will have dramatically improved purse structures, and more live race opportunities in 2015. I’m hopeful you’ll find other states come along. The Texas Racing Commission. passed rules and regulations to allow for Historical Horse Racing. We needed to show the racing world that this alternative form or pari-mutuel racing can work, and I think we did that. It’s a good product, it’s our product, and we need to expand it.”