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| River Downs Photo: Christine A. Wittmer |
Winter racing at Beulah Park was plowed under and the spring/summer meet at River Downs went up in flames Nov. 21 when the Ohio State Racing Commission awarded 2009 dates that represent a loss of more than 160 days of Thoroughbred racing at the two tracks.
Combined with the schedule approved earlier for Thistledown, there will be roughly 200 fewer Thoroughbred dates in Ohio next year compared with this year. That could change, but racetrack officials apparently want Ohio horsemen to back away from an advance deposit wagering model sought by the Thoroughbred Horsemen’s Group.
Beulah Park, which normally kicks off the Ohio racing season in early January, applied for and was granted 60 days of five-days-per-week racing from Oct. 2-Dec. 23. The track also was granted 28 Quarter Horse dates—with racing six days a week—from April 1-May 3.
River Downs, which this year raced 102 days, applied for two Thoroughbred dates and 14 Quarter Horse dates. The racing commission approved the Quarter Horse meet but shot down the Thoroughbred request.
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