Turfway: Countdown to demise? Only 6 races could be filled for Sunday

If Kentucky’s government leaders needed any more proof of the implosion of the track with the most racing dates in the state, they should just look at the entries for this weekend at Turfway Park.

Of the nine planned races for Sunday, only six could be cobbled together – for a total of 39 entries, including a six-horse race with two horses coupled in wagering. Of those races that are being offered, it’s the worst racing product in decades in Kentucky, bad numbers for field size and bad quality. (For Saturday, only nine races will be held of the 11 originally planned.)

In almost 30 years of covering Kentucky racing, I’ve never seen a thoroughbred track in such desperate straits. Never seen a Kentucky track have to cancel so many races because of insufficient entries when there wasn’t a dispute sparking owners and trainers to keep horses in the barn.