by Lucas Marquardt
Construction and renovations at The Red Mile in Lexington, Kentucky are in full swing as the historic Standardbred track and crosstown neighbor Keeneland Association ready to combine their simulcast operations July 15. The Red Mile and Keeneland are also partnering on a 906-terminal historical racing facility at The Red Mile. That facility is expected to open Oct. 1.
The $40-million project marks a big investment for both Keeneland and The Red Mile, which had seen its facility fall into a state of semi-disrepair in recent years. Some 75,000 sq. ft. of new and renovated space will include a roughly 30,000-sq. ft. Grand Hall to house the historical racing machines. Food capabilities have been greatly expanded, with a number of grab 'n' go-style eateries planned. And the old simulcast facility, which previously was showing the wear-and-tear of age, is now unrecognizable, with greatly expanded seating in a climate-controlled section of the grandstand, and some 160 new flatscreen televisions offering handicappers a broad array of tracks.
“This won't be your father's Red Mile,” Keeneland President Bill Thomason said yesterday during a hard-hat tour of the facility.
Thomason isn't wrong. The sleek, modern design, featuring massive canopies at the East and West entrances that are “sculptural interpretations” of sulky frames, is a far cry from the staid brick facade of the old Red Mile. The country-field parking lot is being replaced by a series of paved lots that will allow parking for up to 750 vehicles, as well as a separate parking for tour buses.
Inside, the new Red Mile will be just as modern. The Grand Hall will include a centerpiece bar framed by a towering two-story structure. Architects have paid homage to the previous grandstand by leaving portions of the brick facade exposed, while two existing staircases will be utilized to allow access between the Grand Hall and the Harness track.
Keeneland and The Red Mile are partnering 50/50 on both the historical racing facility and on the simulcast parlor, and it's a partnership that makes plenty of sense. Back in April of 2014, both Keeneland and The Red Mile applied for separate licenses to install historical racing machines. Keeneland applied for 600 machines, The Red Mile for 500. For tracks that sit six miles apart, building separate facilities, and staffing them, was needlessly redundant, officials at both tracks concluded.
“It became obvious to us that, for our community and for our town, it would be best to see if we could work out an arrangement and build it here,” said Thomason. “It made so much sense, and we developed a model that could help both of our businesses. They care so much about their horses and their business, and we found we had a lot in common.”
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Moreover, Keeneland saw advantages of closing its current simulcasting facility in the Keeneland grandstand and shifting its operations to The Red Mile. The latter track sits adjacent to the University of Kentucky and its huge student population, and is just a mile or so from downtown Lexington.
“For us, it's a much more functional space than our current simulcast facility,” Thomason said. “Our simulcast patrons want continuity. They don't like to be moved around–they have their sections they like to sit in, they have their TVs, they have their tellers, and we could never provide that kind of continuity. We had to displace them during racing and for sales and the various things we have going on. But now, we have a single facility, and we can work to build new fans out here, which is the goal. It's close to downtown and easier to get to on a daily basis for someone getting off work.”
The Red Mile, meanwhile, got a well-respected partner with vast resources to help reestablish itself on the local entertainment landscape. Originally built in 1875, The Red Mile hosts Harness Racing's Grand Circuit meet in early October, which draws some of the sport's biggest stables and best horses. The Red Mile hosts, among several other prestigious races, the third leg of the Trotting Triple Crown during its two-week meet, the Kentucky Futurity.
The new simulcast facility will be unique in the respect that there will be separate windows for Harness and Thoroughbred wagering. Keeneland will get all the Thoroughbred revenues; The Red Mile will retain all revenues from Standardbred wagering. Signals from Thoroughbred and Harness tracks will be interspersed on the TVs in the parlor, however.
One benefit to Keeneland's simulcast patrons is that they will now be able to bet on tracks that operate at night. Keeneland usually closed down its simulcast facility at 5 or 6 p.m., and The Red Mile's facility, which is open at night, didn't accept wagers on Thoroughbred tracks.
“You won't find a Thoroughbred track here you can't bet, any time of day, seven days a week,” said Thomason.
The project has already been a boon to the local economy. Forty of the 41 contractors utilized are Kentucky-based, the new facilities were designed by a Kentucky firm, and over 200 Kentuckians were hired, according to The Red Mile. And it could continue to be a big employer in the Lexington area–two-hundred full-time employees are expected to be hired.
“And the great thing is that we have room to expand here,” said Thomason.
Keeneland is currently planning on a full slate of events at The Red Mile for this fall's Breeders' Cup World Championships Oct. 30-31. The TDN will revisit The Red Mile when the historical racing facility is up and running and detail all the festivities.
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