“Horse racing track owner could build $200 million track in Dayton” plus 1 more |
| Horse racing track owner could build $200 million track in Dayton Posted: 09 Feb 2011 08:45 AM PST By Lucas Sullivan and William Hershey Staff Writers Updated 11:32 PM Wednesday, February 9, 2011 DAYTON – Penn National Gaming has agreed to invest $200 million to build a new thoroughbred horse racing track on the grounds of a former Delphi Corp. automotive plant in north Dayton if the state allows it to install video game slots. The gaming company based in Wyomissing, Pa., plans to announce the deal to relocate its Beulah Park racing track near Columbus to Dayton Thursday at a 3 p.m. press conference after addressing the state Racing Commission. A commission spokesman confirmed Penn officials have asked to speak at this morning's meeting. Penn officials are also expected to announce today plans to move Raceway Park in Toledo to Youngstown. It's unclear when the new track would open. Opposition is expected from the owners of Lebanon Raceway, which already faces competition from other tracks near Cincinnati. John Izzo, deputy director of the Racing Commission, said representatives from Penn National plan to address commissioners Thursday morning but did not know the reasons why. The new track would generate approximately 1,500 jobs in the Dayton area, in addition to 1,000 construction jobs, according to information obtained by the Dayton Daily News. "We are really pleased about the opportunity for this new development to be in the city of Dayton," City Commissioner Nan Whaley said. "It provides an entertainment opportunity and is a reuse of the Delphi plant that is a win for the community." Penn National also plans to announce it plans to relocate Raceway Park in Toledo, to a 186-acre site near Youngstown. That plan is also contingent on video slots. Gov. John Kasich said in mid-November he's not against video slots, but wanted to "study" the use of video slots at racetracks. "Like a lot of Ohioans, John has mixed emotions about gambling," Rob Nichols, Kasich's spokesman said at the time. "He doesn't really gamble but he's not opposed to it. He thinks gambling comes with costs to society that must be addressed and minimized, but the revenue can be valuable." Izzo said a new racetrack hasn't been built in Ohio since 1959. Penn National's announcement comes as it prepares to open casinos in Columbus and Toledo some time in 2012. Officials have reportedly been shopping for new sites for both its Raceway Park and Beulah Park since last year. Other operators are opening casinos in Cincinnati and Cleveland. Indiana Metals LLC, of Chicago, purchased the Delphi property last summer for $3.1 million and is listed as the property owner, according to the Montgomery County Auditor's web site. Penn National operates 19 casinos, seven racetracks and six off-track wagering sites in states throughout the country. This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service — if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read our FAQ page at fivefilters.org/content-only/faq.php |
| Racing returns Friday at Hawthorne Posted: 09 Feb 2011 01:17 PM PST Article updated: 2/9/2011 04:17 PM Every sports fan has his or her own harbinger of spring. Pitchers and catchers reporting. The Daytona 500. The Masters. The spring thoroughbred meet at Hawthorne. OK, that last one may be a stretch, but for horse racing fans the Hawthorne meet, which begins Friday and runs through the end of April, means the end of a six-week period without any local thoroughbred racing. And though the February schedule is light — racing only on Fridays and Saturdays — the cards are packed, the purses are up and the folks at Hawthorne are looking to piggyback off the momentum gained from successful 2010 spring and fall meets. "We are coming off a year where we turned the corner," Hawthorne assistant general manager Jim Miller said. "We were up in total handle on each meet and were able to put ourselves in a much better position in regards to purses. While we aren't there yet, we are able to offer higher purses (5 to 7 percent increase) for our horsemen this spring with a better mix of races as well." Nearly 100 horses are entered for Friday's 9-race card and Miller expects similar full decks throughout the month and higher numbers in March and April compared to a year ago. Many familiar names return this season. Leading riders Tim Thornton and Tanner Riggs will be joined by Eddie Perez, Brandon Meier, Julio Felix and Inosencio Diego. After a great start to last fall, Jozbin Santana returns to Hawthorne and will be joined in the jockey colony by Seth Martinez and Constantino Roman, a bug boy looking to have a breakthrough meet. On the training side, Joel Berndt will be looking to defend his training title but is sure to get tough competition from Frank Kirby, Mike Reavis, Jamie Ness, Chris Dorris, Brian Williamson, and Roger Brueggemann. Miller says to keep an eye out for George Leonard, Steve Manley and Ralph Martinez as well. The fall meet's leading owner, Midwest Thoroughbreds, will also have a string of horses at Hawthorne for trainers Brueggemann and Jamie Ness. "I expect another strong meet and expect positive figures once again when we finish in the end of April," Miller said. This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service — if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read our FAQ page at fivefilters.org/content-only/faq.php |
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