Association purses paid at Turfway Park will be cut 5 percent and the 2009
Tejano Run S. and Fairway Fun S. have been canceled, track president Robert N.
Elliston announced Friday.
The track was unable to fill races for March 9, when the cut originally was
scheduled to become effective. The cut therefore takes effect March 11 and will
run through the end of the meet.
The cut affects all claiming, allowance, and maiden special weight races run
at the Northern Kentucky track. However, contributions from the Kentucky
Thoroughbred Development Fund (KTDF) to maiden special and allowance races will
be increased five percent, offsetting the loss for those categories. Kentucky
tracks earn KTDF monies based on on-track wagering on all races, including races
simulcast from other tracks.
“The downturn in the general economy has had an expected impact on our
business,” said Elliston. “Comparing this winter/spring meet to last year’s meet
through February, on-track handle is down about 7.6 percent.
“Where we have seen the biggest drop, however, is in interest in our races
from out of state. Because we are not able to compete with tracks that offer
purses boosted by revenue from other forms of gaming, our field size has dropped
as owners and trainers take their horses where the money is better. Decreased
field size translates directly to decreased business. Customers look for races
that offer a range of choices and therefore a greater return on investment. As
our field size drops, our customers, like owners and trainers, are looking
elsewhere. All-sources handle on our races is down just over 20 percent.”
With the exception of 2005 when the race was canceled due to weather
conditions, the Fairway Fun, which was scheduled for March 28, had been run
every year since 1973. The race was named for a local race mare and written for
older fillies and mares going 1 1/16 miles. The Tejano Run S., for older horses
going 1 1/8 miles, was established in 1974 as the Pioneer S. and had been run
every year except 1990. The race was renamed in 1997 to honor Tejano Run, who
won multiple stakes at Turfway and in 1995 was second in both the Jim Beam S.
(now Lane’s End) (G2) and the Kentucky Derby (G1). The Tejano Run had been
scheduled for March 14.