A year after holding the final weeks of Churchill Downs meet and then post a successful meeting on regularly scheduled days, Ellis Park has once again achieved a spike in all key metrics for the summer 2024 race date.
The numbers show that Kentucky’s effort to offer year-round horse racing is taking shape.
Ellis reported a 20% increase in total wagers from all sources to $72.7 million for the 25-day race, up $12.2 million from last year’s 24-day meet. This year’s wagers are up more than $23 million compared to the 23-day meet in 2022. That increased betting interest is matched by an increased field size as bettors eye the improved prize money from Kentucky’s wildly successful historic horse racing as well as improved pari-mutuel numbers.
The field size at this year’s meet has increased to 8.5 from 8.0 last year. In addition to the larger field, the track is also of better quality at this meet, said Gary Palmisano Jr., vice president of racing for Ellis owner Churchill Downs Inc.
“When you have a nine- or 10-race card and three of the races are good 2-year-old colt races and two are some other (allowance) race or something like that, I think that just makes the product more attractive,” Palmisano said. “Obviously we also focus a lot on the grass track at Ellis, running four or five races a day on it. That certainly doesn’t hurt.
“Overall, I can say that this meeting was a huge success and it was great to see not only the quantity but also the quality increase.”
Palmisano noted that Ellis Park has about 200 horses transported from Turfway Park base for races at the Ellis meet this summer. CDI also owns Turfway and has kept that track open for training. Almost a starter at a race, as Ellis has run 228 races this summer.
According to data from Equineline, Ellis’ prize money totaled $15,458,288, up 8.9 percent from last year. The average prize money at this year’s meet was $67,800, up from $65,373 last year. Between Ellis’ prize money and the transportation options, Kentucky Racetracks are offering quality options for riders.
“The fact that you can live in the Northern Kentucky area, and have a stable at Turfway, and never have to uproot your family or move around; that’s appealing to horse people here in the state,” Palmisano said. “The fact that they’re racing all over the state, whether it’s Kentucky Downs, or Churchill, or Ellis, is a good thing.”
Fans watch horse racing on the lawn at Ellis Park
For reference, Ellis wallets are behind the summer store meetings. This year Del Mar The meeting (so far) has had an average amount of $78,808, while Saratoga Race Track was tested at $117,476, but the Henderson, Ky., track far exceeded the $35,959 average at Gulfstream Park Summer Meetings and Ongoing Hawthorne Raceway response ($23,121 to date).
Ellis Park is owned by CDI and Downs Colony has similar average prize money of $67,800 at Ellis and $67,951 so far at Colonial, which will host several big-money races to close the meeting on September 7.
This year, Ellis has experimented with shifting its usual three-day race week to include racing on Mondays—Saturday-Monday. Palmisano said officials will take the time to review the numbers from that change, which would signal the track owning the racing space on Monday.
Ellis is expected to see further improvements in his prize money—and possibly an expansion of his three-day-a-week schedule to four days—as a satellite HHR facility attached to the track is expected to open in early 2025 in Owensboro, Ky.
Palmisano and Ellis Park General Manager Matt Pressley credited the community interest in racing at Ellis as well as the dedicated staff.
“We are delighted with the results of this year’s competition, both in terms of record-breaking results and the outstanding quality of racing,” Pressley said in a statement. “We owe our success to the dedication of our staff, our horsemen and women, our horsemen and our local community. Thanks to the continued investment from Churchill Downs Incorporated, Ellis Park is positioned for continued growth and success.”
