{"id":133677,"date":"2020-04-21T21:50:03","date_gmt":"2020-04-22T04:50:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/?p=133677"},"modified":"2020-04-22T09:01:16","modified_gmt":"2020-04-22T16:01:16","slug":"fonner-park-tampa-bay-downs-looking-at-extending-horse-racing-meets","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/fonner-park-tampa-bay-downs-looking-at-extending-horse-racing-meets\/","title":{"rendered":"Fonner Park, Tampa Bay Downs Look To Extend Meets, As COVID-19 Delays Other Openings"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Nebraska Racing Commission (NRC) is scheduled to meet Wednesday and take up a request by Fonner Park to extend its current thoroughbred meet into next month.<\/p>\n

\"Fonner
Fonner Park and the Nebraska HBPA reached an agreement to run additional races at the Grand Island track. The state’s Racing Commission is scheduled to vote on the measure Wednesday.(Image: Fonner Park)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

It comes after the Grand Island racetrack reached an agreement with the state\u2019s Horsemen\u2019s Benevolent and Protective Association (HBPA) to run an extra 12 days. That would start on May 4 and end on May 31.<\/p>\n

The meet is currently scheduled to end on April 29.<\/p>\n

Since March 23, Fonner Park<\/a> has raced without fans in the grandstand because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The track even switched from holding weekend cards to racing Mondays through Wednesdays to stand out more to bettors. The move, coupled with the fact that only a few other tracks are racing right now, has increased handle substantially.<\/p>\n

\n

According to a track press release, the daily average handle since March 23 has been more than $2.8 million, and that excludes the $7.2 million bet on April 7, when the track had a mandatory payout on a $4.1 million Pick 5 pool.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Those are remarkable figures for a track considered to be on the lower end of the racing scale in the US. Purses for Wednesday\u2019s scheduled races range from $3,700 to $7,000. Oaklawn Park in Arkansas, meanwhile, is scheduled to run races on Friday with purses ranging from $17,200 to $62,000.<\/p>\n

Fonner Important to Nebraska Horsemen<\/h2>\n

A lot of Fonner\u2019s increased handle comes from out-of-state bettors. According to the Grand Island Independent<\/em>, the track only receives about 3 percent of the money bet through interstate simulcasting, and, as NRC Director Tom Sage told Casino.org<\/em>, the state does not get any revenue from the out-of-state wagering.<\/p>\n

Still, Sage said there\u2019s a benefit to extending the meet.<\/p>\n

\u201cFonner has been and is always very important to Nebraska racing, as they conducted the long meet in the state,\u201d he said. \u201cWith the extension horses can stay in Nebraska helping the horsemen and the industry in the state.\u201d<\/p>\n

The commission staff does not have any issue with the proposed extension, though Sage added the commissioners, if they have any concerns, may bring them up Wednesday.<\/p>\n

More Than ‘Sexy Handles’ to Consider<\/h2>\n

Fonner CEO Chris Kotulak said in the release that because of the COVID-19 guidelines, continuing horse racing at the track is \u201cstill very much a day-to-day prospect.\u201d Still, he noted, as the handle increase indicates, the ability to race has given the tiny Nebraska track a huge spotlight.<\/p>\n

Even with that extra attention, he remains pragmatic.<\/p>\n

Fonner Park operates on a wickedly narrow profit margin,\u201d Kotulak said. \u201cWhat might seem like a successful spell of handle one week might only equate to survival or even a deficit another week. We cannot be swooned by sexy handles this year when we have to consider purse money for 2021 and the hundreds of thousands of dollars of expenses and repairs we face annually.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

He added that once other tracks resume racing, Fonner\u2019s pari-mutuel handle will drop.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy goal is not to simply make hay this year,\u201d he added. I have a responsibility to Fonner Park, the horsemen, and the city of Grand Island, Neb., to remain viable for many years to come.\u201d<\/p>\n

Florida Track Also Considering Extension<\/h2>\n

Fonner isn\u2019t the only track considering an extension, as some tracks scheduled to start horse racing in the coming weeks, including Churchill Downs in Kentucky<\/a> and New York\u2019s Belmont Park, have already announced their meets will not start on time. Earlier this week, Tampa Bay Downs indicated it\u2019s considering asking Florida officials for more dates.<\/p>\n

Tampa Bay Downs meet is currently scheduled to end May 3.<\/p>\n

\u201cAttention horsemen: We are seriously considering extending the meet. We need everyone to adhere to the protocols for COVID-19 that were handed out to trainers and posted on the backside,\u201d <\/strong>the track said in its overnight notes to horsemen for Friday\u2019s races. \u201cMake sure anyone running a horse is wearing a mask and gloves. Only two persons per horse in the paddock, which includes the trainer.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Nebraska Racing Commission (NRC) is scheduled to meet Wednesday and take up a request by Fonner Park to extend its current thoroughbred meet into next month. It comes after the Grand Island racetrack reached an agreement with the state\u2019s Horsemen\u2019s Benevolent and Protective Association (HBPA) to run an extra 12 days. That would start […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":45,"featured_media":133678,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[14577,16],"tags":[],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nFonner Park, Tampa Bay Downs Looking at Extending Horse Racing Meets<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Fonner Park's request for May dates comes as the handle at the Nebraska track has risen since it's one of seven US tracks racing amid the COVID-19 crisis.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/fonner-park-tampa-bay-downs-looking-at-extending-horse-racing-meets\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Fonner Park, Tampa Bay Downs Looking at 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