Kentucky Downs is transferring an additional $1 million to Ellis Park riders to bolster their wallets at the Henderson racetrack summer meeting. This allocation is part of the Kentucky Thoroughbred Development Fund (KTDF), which supplements the amount registered Kentucky Thoroughbred Breeders can earn in a race.
The $1 million bringing in a total of $3.2 million in proceeds from historic Kentucky Downs’ The Mint Gaming Hall in action will be transferred to Ellis Park’s account in 2022.
“We looked at teenage girls’ purses over the summer and just thought they weren’t right for what we were trying to do for Kentucky,” said Ron Winchell, co-managing partner of Kentucky Downs.
Working with the Kentucky HBPA and the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission, the Kentucky Downs since 2016 have transferred more than $25 million in wallets and KTDF supplements created at The Mint properties to other state racetracks, largely benefit from Ellis Park’s wallet account.
“The Kentucky Downs are back on track once again, and we are grateful,” said Vince Gabbert, who serves as Ellis Park’s interim director of racing operations. “They’ve shown they care not only about their track but the health of the entire Kentucky circuit.”
The move was welcomed by Damon Thayer, Kentucky Senate Majority Leader.
“I appreciate the commitment of Kentucky Downs ownership and management in ensuring that the year round in Kentucky is the best in North America,” says Thayer. “I know of no other racetrack in the country that makes wallets for other people. But hopefully this is a short-term solution that works for owners, trainers and racers in Kentucky until Ellis Park. can create larger wallets on their own after the expansion of the Owensboro track in operation.”
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