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It’s time for horse racing season at Ellis Park. Here are 5 things to know.

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It’s time for horse racing season at Ellis Park. Here are 5 things to know.

Chuck Stinnett
 |  Special to the Courier & Press

Live thoroughbred racing returns Thursday at Ellis Park Racing & Gaming, and the 25-day meet is going to be a little different this summer.

Here are five things to know about Ellis Park for 2024:

New racing schedule at Ellis Park

The opening weekend of live racing will begin on Thursday, July 4, and run through Sunday, July 7.

But after that, racing will take place three days a week, Saturdays through Mondays, concluding on Aug. 26. Last year, Ellis ran Fridays through Sundays.

Also, the track known as the Pea Patch because of its tradition of raising soybeans in the infield won’t have soybeans this year. Instead, the infield will feature a lake used for treating wastewater from the backside to comply with federal regulations.

Record amount of prize money on the line this summer

Prize money attracts horse owners and trainers to a track, and this year, Ellis will put up a record $3.7 million across 18 stakes races.

Ellis Park’s stakes lineup is led by the Grade III $400,000 Pucker Up, one of seven races across Kentucky Downs Preview Weekend, Aug. 3-4.

That weekend of racing also includes the $300,000 Kentucky Downs Preview Turf Cup (Listed), $250,000 Kentucky Downs Preview Mint Millions Turf Mile (Listed), $250,000 Kentucky Downs Preview Turf Sprint (Listed), $250,000 Kentucky Downs Preview Ladies Turf Mile, $250,000 Kentucky Downs Preview Nashville Derby and $250,000 Kentucky Downs Preview Ladies Turf Sprint.

Two other featured stakes events scheduled are the $275,000 Ellis Park Derby (Listed) and $175,000 Groupie Doll (Listed), taking place Sunday, Aug. 11.

Those are two of six stakes races that will be held that day. The others are the $175,000 Ellis Park Juvenile, $175,000 Ellis Park Debutante, $175,000 Audubon Oaks and $150,000 R. A. “Cowboy” Jones Memorial.

Ellis Racing Secretary Dan Bork’s condition book will average $615,000 per day (excluding substitute and extra races) for a record $15.4 million over the course of the meet, with funding help from the Kentucky Thoroughbred Development Fund.

The horsemen in this year’s Ellis Park lineup

Among the riders in the Ellis Park colony will be last year’s top 10 leaders: Gerardo Corrales (who posted 28 wins at Ellis last year for his second-straight title at the track), Cristian Torres (21 wins), Rafael Bejarano (18), Francisco Arrieta (16), Declan Cannon (16) as well as Corey Lanerie, Brian Hernandez Jr., James Graham, Florent Geroux and Edgar Morales.

The Ellis Park backstretch will be full this summer with many of the nation’s leading outfits including trainers Brad Cox (who won his fifth Ellis meet title last year with 21 victories), Steve Asmussen (12), Paulo Lobo (9), Brian Lynch (7) along with Tom Amoss, Cherie DeVaux, Greg Foley, Chris Hartman, Mike Maker, Dale Romans and Joe Sharp.

They’ll be joined on the backstretch by trainers such as Jose Camejo, Phil D’Amato, Ron Moquett, Riley Mott, John Ortiz, Lindsay Schultz, Jonathan Thomas and Carlo Vaccarezza along with local mainstays Wayne French, Eric Foster, John Hancock, Benjie Larue, Aaron Shorter and Billy Stinson Jr.

Racing Analyst Joe Kristufek will once again cover the racing season at Ellis Park and will be joined on the simulcast feed by Track Announcer/Racing Analyst Tony Calo. Kristufek will also make the morning line odds.

Can’t make it to the track? You can still wager.

Kentucky law has been changed to allow sports wagering website and mobile apps effective September 2023, joining Indiana and Illinois, where sports wagering has been legal for several years.

Fans can watch live on-site coverage each day on FanDuel TV along with the Churchill Downs LIVE app on smart TVs. Special wagering promotions will be available on www.twinspires.com, the official wagering provider of Churchill Downs Inc., which re-acquired Ellis Park in 2002.

Special events this summer at Ellis Park

Per usual, there will be a series of special events this summer, including:

  • Hometown Heroes Day (July 4)
  • Mascot Mania (July 13)
  • Corgi and Weiner Dog Racing (July 20 and Aug. 17)
  • Teacher Appreciation Day (July 29)
  • Family Fun Day (Aug. 24)

Dollar Days are back each Sunday throughout the season featuring discounted hot dogs, soft drinks and beer.

Meanwhile, members of backstretch community will see several new amenities this summer including a free community garden, a library exchange courtesy of the Henderson County Public Library, soccer games each Tuesday with free dinner and monthly outdoor movie nights featuring movies in English and Spanish.

Ellis Park, located on U.S. 41 in Kentucky immediately north of the Ohio River and just south of Evansville, is marking its 102nd year of racing.

In addition to being recognized as the historic home of summer thoroughbred racing in Kentucky, Ellis Park also features a gaming facility venue with approximately 300 historical racing machines.

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