Louisville, KY - On paper, the decision for Kentucky's thoroughbred regulators about next year's racing calendar might look simple.
One track that runs a boutique meet — with the highest purses in the state for owners and trainers and with the greatest return for bettors — wants more racing dates in September. Another track with lower purses and less money returned to bettors says it can't be successful running at the same time and will drop the meet if it faces competition during the month from the other track.
Bettors and horsemen give the first track, Kentucky Downs in Franklin, Ky., rave reviews. The second track, Churchill Downs, is viewed by some as an industry bully more concerned about profit than bettors or racing.
But the decision over which track gets preference in September isn't so simple, say trainers interviewed who believe the tracks and the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission should develop a solution that works for both.
"I really think that we need both tracks, and just not overlapping each other," said trainer William "Buff" Bradley, whose stable is based at Churchill. "I think Kentucky needs Churchill in September, for sure, or you're going to have people (owners and trainers) that are just going to go straight south and not even think about our Keeneland (Race Course) or Churchill" fall meets.
The commission's race dates committee will meet Tuesday to make recommendations on dates requests. It's also possible that the committee could forward the decision to the full commission without a recommendation. The full commission vote is scheduled for Oct. 21 — by law dates must be assigned by Nov. 1.
Whatever is decided carries high stakes for Kentucky racing.
Rep. David Osborne, a Prospect Republican who is a horse owner, said the two tracks and horsemen all need to be together working on a solution.
"This is something that impacts the livelihoods and business models of all three of those groups," he said, adding that an overlap should be avoided.
Churchill, which races more dates than any other Kentucky track, is seeking 12 days in September, giving up a final weekend so that Keeneland Race Course can move up its fall meet because it is hosting the Breeders' Cup in 2015. Churchill also has said it won't run the September meet if Kentucky Downs' meet overlaps — a position supported by Keeneland.
Kentucky Downs is asking for seven dates — up from the five it ran this year. Its race purses — fueled by the slot-like Instant Racing game and paid out over a short period of racing — are the highest in the state. One of the extra dates would be Labor Day weekend when Ellis Park in Henderson also would be racing and one would be an additional Saturday directly against Churchill.
Jeffersontown resident Mike Fridman said he doesn't care if Churchill gets any dates in September.
Fridman is among bettors angry at Churchill for raising the cut off the top of wagers — called the "takeout" that funds purses and the track — last spring. Declines in wagering followed in both that spring meet and the September meet with some handicappers boycotting betting on Churchill's races.
He stopped attending after the takeout hike in the spring, saying it was the last straw for him.
"So many of us are just fed up with it now," he said.
Kentucky Downs, meanwhile, has the lowest takeout rates in the state.
Those takeout rates and purses helped Kentucky Downs set records in its September meet. Betting beat a previous record with a 23.9 percent increase over last year while field sizes averaged a record 10.2 starters per race.
Churchill struggled in September with wagering dropping 16.15 percent from the inaugural 2013 effort and the average field size falling to 7.7 horses from 8.07 last year. Despite Churchill's declines in wagering, it still averages slightly more bet on its racing cards per day than Kentucky Downs.
Despite the declines at Churchill, its purses still are higher than those that were offered by Turfway Park, which previously was the track that overlapped with Kentucky Downs before Churchill took the days two years ago.
Churchill critics say Churchill knew there'd be an overlap with Kentucky Downs when it took the days.
Churchill track President Kevin Flanery said Kentucky Downs is asking for more days and more overlap, but Churchill's requests in general are an effort to get people talking about what's best for Kentucky racing.
"What we're trying to get people to do is have a conversation about the realities of the racing industry right now, the horse population," he said. "And that changes over time and its different now than it was two or three years ago."
Flanery said a large number of Kentucky Downs' starters are stabled and train regularly at Churchill — while not paying stall rent during Churchill's September meet. Kentucky Downs' stable area essentially is only for horses running that day.
"I can see Churchill's side of it," trainer Bradley said. "They're pretty much a training center for Kentucky Downs. ... And on the other hand you can't blame the trainers that need to go down there and take their horses down there because the purses are so good."
Kentucky Downs President Corey Johnsen said Churchill gets an advantage for having the stable area by getting more simulcasting wagering revenues as what is called the "host" track for most of the month. Johnsen is requesting that Kentucky Downs get nine host days next year, up from six this year.
Kentucky Downs has tried to get six days in the past and this year's request is "the same request that we think is in the best interest of the industry," Johnsen said, adding that the Labor Day weekend date is a one-time request to set up Keeneland for the Breeders' Cup.
Churchill also has both dirt and turf racing, while Kentucky Downs is a undulating European style turf course.
Bradley questioned whether Kentucky Downs might be able to run more in late August and early September.
Johnsen said he doesn't want to move up the timeframe for the meet because it would overlap with Ellis Park in Henderson, which runs through Labor Day.
Osborne, the state legislator, said racing at Kentucky Downs carries the risk of a rain-out, where Churchill can move turf races to its dirt course if the ground is too soft.
Johnsen said improvements to Kentucky Downs' turf course make cancellations less of a danger than it used to be.
Churchill-based trainer Dallas Stewart said horsemen who don't have a lot of turf horses need Churchill in September, while saying both tracks have advantages.
Kentucky Downs is a nice option if it looks like a horse might like turf, Stewart said. "The purses are big. If we hit the board, we're going to get a nice payday. And we'll find out if he likes the turf or not. But if you've got 30 horses you're not going to do that with 29 of them. It's just going to be the ones that like it and the ones you want to try. If you've got Churchill running you have both tracks to choose from."
If only Kentucky Downs is running in September, Kentucky-based horses suited to the dirt could be sitting in their stalls racking up a $3,000 training bill with nowhere to run, Stewart said. "That's a fact."
Osborne said he'd like to see the two tracks and horsemen all need a seat at the table in working on a solution that avoids a direct overlap.
"I think it's unproductive to have two tracks running on the same day," he said. "... It's going to take a couple of rational adults to get in the room and figure it out and unfortunately that's a commodity that's sometimes lacking in this industry."
Johnsen said he's not sure whether there's a compromise to be reached, but Flanery said he's optimistic.
"I think we'll get to something where everybody's a winner," he said.