Horse racing fades in Kentucky; supporters envy other states where casinos supplement tracks – The Washington Post
http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/horse-racing-fades-in-kentucky-supporters-envy-other-states-where-casinos-supplement-tracks/2012/03/23/gIQA0m5PWS_story.html
While tracks in other states have parlayed casino gambling into higher purses, Kentucky lawmakers have resisted allowing such a move. Everyone from breeders to railbirds worries that it will eventually render the home of American horse racing an also-ran.
Even storied Churchill Downs, home of the Kentucky Derby, has felt the pressure.
The Louisville track offers a few nights of live racing, drawing three times the typical race day crowds. It has reduced racing days in its spring meet in a gambit to keep purses competitive with tracks where casino operations boost racing prizes. Between 2000 and 2008, the famed track had at least 52 racing days in the spring session; this year it will have 39. But Churchill still struggles to fill some race cards with big fields that attract more betting, track president Kevin Flanery said recently.
Posted via email from Michael Pizzolla On ValueCapping™, Horse Racing, And Technology
