Kentucky Downs
Encyclopedia
| Horse Race Track | |
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| Kentucky Downs | |
| Location | Simpson County, Kentucky Simpson County, Kentucky Simpson County is a county located in the U.S. state of Kentucky. As of 2000, the population was 16,405. Its county seat is Franklin. The county is named for Captain John Simpson, a Kentucky militia officer who fought in Battle of Fallen Timbers in the Northwest Indian War, and was killed in the... , near Franklin, Kentucky Franklin, Kentucky As of the census of 2000, there were 7,996 people, 3,251 households, and 2,174 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,074.7 people per square mile . There were 3,609 housing units at an average density of 485.1 per square mile... and Portland, Tennessee Portland, Tennessee Portland is a city in Sumner and Robertson counties in the U.S. state of Tennessee, and is also a part of the Nashville Metropolitan Statistical Area The population was 10,986 according to 2007 estimates by the US census bureau.-History:... |
| Owned by | Corey Johnsen & Ray Reid |
| Race type | Thoroughbred |
| Principal Races | |
| Flat racing Flat racing Flat racing is a form of Thoroughbred horse racing which is run over a level track at a predetermined distance. It differs from steeplechase racing which is run over hurdles... : |
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| Kentucky Cup Turf Dash Stakes | |
| Kentucky Cup Ladies Turf Stakes | |
| Kentucky Cup Turf Stakes Kentucky Cup Turf Stakes The Kentucky Cup Turf Stakes is an American Thoroughbred horse race run annually at Kentucky Downs racetrack in Franklin, Kentucky. A Grade III turf race open to horses age three and older, it is contested at a distance of 1½ miles on a European-style turf course laid out in a kidney shape.The... (Grade III Graded stakes race A graded stakes race is a term applied since 1973 by the American Graded Stakes Committee of the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association to thoroughbred horse races in the United States and Canada to describe races that derive their name from the stake, or entry fee, owners must pay... ) |
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| Franklin-Simpson Stakes | |
| Steeplechase racing Steeplechase Steeplechase may refer to:* Steeplechase, an event in horse racing* SteepleChase, a Danish jazz label* Steeplechase , a 1975 arcade game released by Atari... : |
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| Belle Meade Plantation Stakes | |
Kentucky Downs is a Thoroughbred
Thoroughbred
The Thoroughbred is a horse breed best known for its use in horse racing. Although the word thoroughbred is sometimes used to refer to any breed of purebred horse, it technically refers only to the Thoroughbred breed...
horse racing
Horse racing
Horse racing is an equestrian sport that has a long history. Archaeological records indicate that horse racing occurred in ancient Babylon, Syria, and Egypt. Both chariot and mounted horse racing were events in the ancient Greek Olympics by 648 BC...
track located on the border between Kentucky
Kentucky
The Commonwealth of Kentucky is a state located in the East Central United States of America. As classified by the United States Census Bureau, Kentucky is a Southern state, more specifically in the East South Central region. Kentucky is one of four U.S. states constituted as a commonwealth...
and Tennessee
Tennessee
Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...
, near the city of Franklin
Franklin, Kentucky
As of the census of 2000, there were 7,996 people, 3,251 households, and 2,174 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,074.7 people per square mile . There were 3,609 housing units at an average density of 485.1 per square mile...
and just off Interstate 65
Interstate 65
Interstate 65 is a major Interstate Highway in the United States. The southern terminus is located at an intersection with Interstate 10 in Mobile, Alabama, and its northern terminus is at an interchange with Interstate 90 , U.S. Route 12, and U.S...
. It is unique among American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
tracks in that it is a European-style course — its surface is all turf (grass) instead of dirt, and it is not oval in shape.
In 2009, the Horseplayers Association of North America introduced a rating system for 65 Thoroughbred
Thoroughbred
The Thoroughbred is a horse breed best known for its use in horse racing. Although the word thoroughbred is sometimes used to refer to any breed of purebred horse, it technically refers only to the Thoroughbred breed...
racetracks in North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
. Of the top Ten, Kentucky Downs was ranked #2.
History and information
The track began life in 1990 as Dueling Grounds Race Course. The name came from the history of the Sandford Duncan farm, on whose property the track was located. The farm, which was located in a slight corner of what is otherwise a perfectly-straight Kentucky-Tennessee border, was the site of numerous duelDuel
A duel is an arranged engagement in combat between two individuals, with matched weapons in accordance with agreed-upon rules.Duels in this form were chiefly practised in Early Modern Europe, with precedents in the medieval code of chivalry, and continued into the modern period especially among...
s in the 1800s, because dueling was illegal in Tennessee but not in Kentucky. Sam Houston
Sam Houston
Samuel Houston, known as Sam Houston , was a 19th-century American statesman, politician, and soldier. He was born in Timber Ridge in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia, of Scots-Irish descent. Houston became a key figure in the history of Texas and was elected as the first and third President of...
took part in a duel on the site. Dueling ended in 1827. The track conducted only steeplechase
Steeplechase (horse racing)
The steeplechase is a form of horse racing and derives its name from early races in which orientation of the course was by reference to a church steeple, jumping fences and ditches and generally traversing the many intervening obstacles in the countryside...
races in its first year, but removed the fences and switched to flat racing in 1992. The first meet featured the Dueling Grounds International, whose $750,000 purse remains the richest in American steeplechase history.
The track underwent a tumultuous series of financial misfortunes, changes in ownership, and legal battles, some of which caused the track to miss its 1997 meet. It also saw use as a concert site and a bingo hall. In 1997, the track was purchased at auction by Turfway Park
Turfway Park
Turfway Park is an American horse racing track located just outside the city limits to the north of Florence, Kentucky, about 10 miles south of the Ohio River at Cincinnati...
, Churchill Downs
Churchill Downs
Churchill Downs, located in Central Avenue in south Louisville, Kentucky, United States, is a Thoroughbred racetrack most famous for hosting the Kentucky Derby annually. It officially opened in 1875, and held the first Kentucky Derby and the first Kentucky Oaks in the same year. Churchill Downs...
and other investors. Turfway took over day-to-day management of the facility, having some of its existing staff do double duty at the new track. The name was changed to Kentucky Downs in an effort to remove the stigma attached to the Dueling Grounds brand under its previous mismanagement.
Steeplechase
Steeplechase
Steeplechase may refer to:* Steeplechase, an event in horse racing* SteepleChase, a Danish jazz label* Steeplechase , a 1975 arcade game released by Atari...
racing returned in 2000 with a Grade
Graded stakes race
A graded stakes race is a term applied since 1973 by the American Graded Stakes Committee of the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association to thoroughbred horse races in the United States and Canada to describe races that derive their name from the stake, or entry fee, owners must pay...
II event, as well as traditional flat racing. The track went back to flat racing only the following year, but resumed steeplechases again in 2008.
Kentucky Downs hosts a limited live racing meet each year. The 2008 meet features the Kentucky Cup Turf Festival (run one week after the Kentucky Cup race card at Turfway Park
Turfway Park
Turfway Park is an American horse racing track located just outside the city limits to the north of Florence, Kentucky, about 10 miles south of the Ohio River at Cincinnati...
) and featuring the Grade 3 Kentucky Cup Turf. During the rest of the year, the track functions basically as an off-track parimutuel betting
Parimutuel betting
Parimutuel betting is a betting system in which all bets of a particular type are placed together in a pool; taxes and the "house-take" or "vig" is removed, and payoff odds are calculated by sharing the pool among all winning bets...
site, offering simulcast wagering on most of the country's top tracks. It draws patrons largely from the nearby Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state. The city is a center for the health care, publishing, banking and transportation industries, and is home...
market, centered approximately 40 miles (64 km) to the south, where the only other legal gambling options are the Tennessee Lottery
Tennessee Lottery
The Tennessee Lottery is run by the Tennessee Education Lottery Corporation , which was created on June 11, 2003 by the Tennessee General Assembly through the Tennessee Education Lottery Implementation Law....
and riverboat casino
Casino
In modern English, a casino is a facility which houses and accommodates certain types of gambling activities. Casinos are most commonly built near or combined with hotels, restaurants, retail shopping, cruise ships or other tourist attractions...
s more than two hours away. With legislation to allow casino gaming at racetracks being a topic of frequent political debate in Kentucky (particularly in the 2007 gubernatorial campaign), Kentucky Downs stands to benefit as the closest casino to metro Nashville
Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state. The city is a center for the health care, publishing, banking and transportation industries, and is home...
, should casinos become legalized.
In March 2007, a partnership led by investors Corey Johnsen and Ray Reid agreed to purchase 85% interest in the track. Johnsen is formerly president of Lone Star Park
Lone Star Park
Lone Star Park is a horse racing track located in Grand Prairie, Texas.-History:Lone Star Park opened in 1997. The track offers separate meets for Thoroughbred racing and Quarter Horse racing. In October 2002, Magna Entertainment Corp. , based in Aurora, Ontario, leased the facility and acquired...
and Reid runs a private investment and banking firm. The new partnership will be managed by Reid and Johnsen. Churchill Downs, Turfway Park and the other minority investors retain a 5% share in the track. The transaction was completed on August 6, 2007.
On September 1, 2011, Kentucky Downs introduced "Instant Racing," a hybrid between slot machine
Slot machine
A slot machine , informally fruit machine , the slots , poker machine or "pokies" or simply slot is a casino gambling machine with three or more reels which spin when a button is pushed...
s and parimutuel wagering, where bettors play at a terminal using historical racing data and video. A request by the Family Foundation of Kentucky to halt the use of the games, which the foundation argued were illegal slot machines, was denied by the state appeals court on Oct. 7, 2011.
The 2011 live racing meet was held on on September 10, 12, 17 and 19.
TV personalities
- Jon Lies (2007-present)
- Rick Lee (2000-present)