Striving to Be Bigger, Better; What's New at Ky Downs

With his track already having purses that are nothing less than staggering, a five-day festival meet and a betting product that horseplayers find irresistible, one of the biggest challenges for Kentucky Downs President Corey Johnsen is how to make one meet better than the next. It may not be easy, but track management will try to build on past successes this year with an improved simulcasting presentation, even higher purses and through a purse contribution it made to Ellis Park, which Johnsen believes can only help his track.

Johnsen wants Kentucky Downs to be known as the most horseplayer-friendly track in the country. With its big fields and low takeouts, Kentucky Downs is already ranked No. 1 as the top track for gamblers by the Horseplayers Association of North America. Yet, Johnsen felt the track's simulcasting presentation needed work.

“One of the challenges we have always had has been our video presentation,” he said. “I don't want to make excuses but when they built this place they built it so the sun sets on the backstretch and the cameras are looking right into the sun and it's also a big, undulating course. With over 90% of the wagering done off-track, we felt we had to do a better job with our presentation. This year, we will broadcast in high definition, which we felt was necessary to get the best video presentation possible. That was the necessary starting point. We've also changed a camera position in the stretch, and improved our entire graphics presentation, which will be more easy to read and easy to understand.”

Johnsen has also gone for quantity and quality in the on-air talent that will be part of the simulcast presentation. Rather than one talking head, he will have five, all of them zeroing in on handicapping and race analysis. The team will include former turf writer Gary West, handicappers Joe Kristufek, Dick Downey and Kevin (The Cowboy) Cox and announcer John Lies.

“We have a group of handicappers and presenters on air and via social media that is second to none,” Johnsen said.

The takeout on win, place and show bets at Kentucky Downs is 16% and exactas are 18.25%. With the recent cuts in the takeout at Canterbury Downs, Johnsen acknowledges that his track no longer has the lowest takeout structure in the country. He said he would look into lowering it next year but did not know if that would be practical because he doesn't want to cut too much into the profits made by the ADWs, OTBs and simulcasting outlets taking the Kentucky Downs signal. But he believes when Kentucky Downs lowered its takeout two years ago, it led others to do the same.

“It's actually gratifying to me that we no longer have the lowest takeouts in North America,” Johnsen said. “One of our goals is to affect change throughout the industry. Our major source of revenue comes from historical horse racing and we only have a five-day season, so we can do some things and can take some risks that other tracks can't and see if they play out in a way that would benefit all of the industry and all of the participants. We are unique in that way.”

In another move, one that is surely a first in U.S. racing, Kentucky Downs and the Kentucky HBPA decided to donate $1.35 million in purse money to Ellis Park. The idea was to help a track that feeds horses to the Kentucky Downs meet and Kentucky racing in general.

“Why didn't we just keep it for ourselves? This was something done in conjunction with the Kentucky HBPA and we collectively decided it was in the best interests of Kentucky horse racing and Kentucky Downs to do this,” Johnsen said. “The stronger the Kentucky circuit is, the better the horses that we're going to attract at Kentucky Downs. I am fully convinced of that.”

Even with the contribution to Ellis, Kentucky Downs purses this year, when including funds from the Kentucky Thoroughbred Development Fund, will total $7.8 million. Johnsen says that is an increase of about 10% from last year. And when it comes to overnight purses, no track–not even Saratoga–comes close. This year, maiden special weight races will go for $130,000. On Saturday's opening-day card, there is a $145,000 allowance race. In the Kentucky Downs Ladies Turf, the Kentucky Downs Juvenile, the Kentucky Downs Turf Sprint and the Exacta Systems Juvenile Fillies, there are four $350,000 stakes on the Saturday card. The Sept. 10 card includes the $600,000 GIII Calumet Farm Kentucky Turf Cup, plus three other stakes worth a combined $900,000.

Johnsen said another goal is to attract the attention of the graded stakes committee in hopes that it will upgrade these rich races that usually draw top quality fields.

“I think we're right at tipping point where the graded stakes committee will recognize the fields we have,” he said. “Like in our Turf Sprint, we have Undrafted (Purim) and Regally Ready (More Than Ready) and both are Grade I winners. The field is really deep.”

In addition to this Saturday and next, Kentucky Downs will race on Sept. 8, Sept. 11 and Sept. 15. Florent Geroux was leading rider last year and looks poised to repeat his title in 2016.