CONTACT INFO:
Cara McCarty
Office (812) 798-3620
Cara.McCarty@ellisparkracing.com

Ellis Park Incident Forces Races To Move To Turf Track

HENDERSON, Ky. (Friday, July 23, 2021) — Prior to the fifth race Friday afternoon at Ellis Park Racing & Gaming, a tractor driver was taken to the hospital after hitting the inner rail during between-race maintenance.

Ellis Park Racing & Gaming did not identify the employee, citing health privacy laws. With the rail unable to be immediately repaired, the fifth and seventh races were moved from the main track to the turf. Track General Manager Jeff Inman said that the rail would be repaired overnight and into the morning and racing would resume as scheduled at 12:50 p.m. CT Saturday.

The surface change necessitated changes to a trio of multi-race wagers. The Pick 3 beginning with race 3 paid out on 5-6-all.  The Pick 3 starting with race 4 paid off on 6-all-3. The Pick 5 was to pay off on 6-all-3-all-to the winner of the eighth.

While taking races off the turf and putting them on the main track is a frequent occurrence when the grass becomes too saturated with rain, the reverse is very unusual. However, there were no defections from the two races moved to the turf.

The 99th season of world-class horse racing continues at Ellis Park through September 4th. The track is open daily for Historical Horse Racing gaming and simulcasting.