by Frank Angst

Following the recommendation of a committee assigned to examine race dates at Kentucky tracks, the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission approved a 24.5% schedule reduction for 2010 compared with the date requests for this year.

Chairman Robert Beck said because of the tough economic times, the commission approved the reduction in dates and noted the commission eventually may have to review the statute that addresses racing dates.

Before voting, the commission noted that Kentucky horsemen had reached an agreement with the tracks on the ’10 schedule. Rick Hiles, president of the Kentucky Horsemen’s Benevolent and Protective Association, said that the horsemen have an understanding that the tracks will restore dates if expanded gaming is approved for Kentucky racetracks, although any race-date additions would probably have to come in the year following approval of added gambling, such as video lottery terminals.

Turfway Park reduced its date requests from 114 for 2009 to 81 for '10. The track will make most of those cuts in January and February by shifting to a three-day racing week from Friday through Sunday. Turfway plans to race four days a week in March.

Churchill Downs reduced its requests from 73 dates for ‘09 to 62 for '10. This year the Louisville track received permission to reduce those 73 dates to 66 when it was hampered by short fields. In terms of actual dates raced in 2009, Churchill will lose four dates in ‘10.

Churchill Downs racetrack President Kevin Flanery said the track will not race on Wednesdays during its spring/summer meeting and will eliminate the Tuesday card from Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (G1) week. Also, the track will eliminate a single Tuesday card from its fall schedule, often contested on Election Day.

Ellis Park’s dates request was down from 48 last year to 27 for 2010. Those 27 dates actually are good news as owner Ron Geary had considered closing the Henderson track. While Ellis applied for 48 dates in ‘09, it later received permission to reduce its schedule to 23 dates. The 27 dates actually represents an increase compared with the actual 2009 schedule.

In terms of racing date requests for 2010 compared with this year’s actual dates, racing dates will be down at least 13.8%. Tracks could request further reductions during the year but Kentucky statutes make increasing the number of racing dates difficult.

Keeneland Race Course again applied for 32 racing dates and Kentucky Downs plans to race four days, matching its actual 2009 total, although last year the Franklin track originally applied for six dates.

Turfway will race from January 1 through March 28 (43 days); from September 8 through October 3 (20 days); and from December 2 through December 31 (38 days). Keeneland will race from April 2 through April 23 and from October 8 through October 30, a total of 32 days at its two meets.

Churchill would race from April 24 through July 4 (42 days) and from October 31 through November 27 (20 days). Ellis would race from July 10 through September 6 (27 days) and Kentucky Downs would race from September 11 through 20. The committee will recommend a built-in makeup rain date for Kentucky Downs, which only offers turf racing, of September 27.

Frank Angst is senior writer for Thoroughbred Times