Ellis Park will offer increased purses averaging $210,000-per-day for its 30-day summer meet which runs from July 2 to Sept. 5, the track announced Tuesday. The increase is due to the continued success of the track's Instant Racing parimutuel games, as well as a $1.35-million purse contribution from Kentucky Downs.
“We'll have one of the best meets we've ever had,” said Ellis Park president Ron Geary. “We had almost 8.3 horses per race last year, and we think we'll have an opportunity to improve on that this year. The momen-tum has been building for this for several months and now it's looking like reality, which is extremely exciting.”
Maiden races for Kentucky-bred horses will have purses of $38,000–up $9,000 from last year, while allowance races will range from $39,000 to $42,000, including the supplements from the Kentucky Thoroughbred Development Fund for horses born and sired in the Commonwealth.
The meet's stakes schedule is highlighted by the GIII Groupie Doll S. Aug. 6–a card that will be bolstered by the return of the Ellis Park Juvenile S., which returns after an extended hiatus. In 2015, the track known as “The Pea Patch” played host to eventual MGISW Brody's Cause (Giant's Causeway) and GSW Mo Tom (Uncle Mo), among others, in juvenile maiden races.
“I'm thrilled,” trainer Ken McPeek said of the track's 2-year-old program. “We're going to point a bunch of young horses there. It's right up our alley, and it gives us more motivation to keep these horses local.”
A significant component of Ellis' enhanced purses is the purse contribution from Kentucky Downs, which will also market and distribute the Ellis Park simulcast signal nationally. The two tracks have coordinated their schedules with the goal of strengthening the year-round racing schedule in the Commonwealth. Kentucky Downs hosts five live racing dates, Sept. 3, 8, 10,11 and 15. For more information, contact racing secretary Dan Bork at dan.bork@ellisparkracing.com.
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