|
BLUE RIBBON DOWNS ANNOUNCES CLOSING
The entity of the Choctaw Nation which operates the racetrack announced that following the last day of scheduled racing November 28th, the track would be shuttered. "The sport of horse racing is struggling nationwide," said Judy Allen, a tribal spokeswoman. "We did our best and invested a lot of money to improve the local racing experience, but there just was not enough patron support to continue to operate the track." "The financial paperwork would support our decision to close it," she said. The tribe has been negotiating with several prospective buyers since at least mid-2008, but no final agreement could be reached on a purchase.
"There have been several times in the past couple of years that we've had interested parties approach us on purchasing the racetrack," Allen said. "The most recent (offer) is not currently going to happen." The tribe will retain ownership of the track after it is closed and is still looking to sell it, she said. The Oklahoma Horse Racing Commission was informed by the track's management on October 22nd that it would close, said Tino Rieger, the commission's executive director.
"It's always a sad day when you have a racetrack that has to close its doors," he said. "Obviously, it's never good to lose a racing partner. The economics of running a racetrack makes it difficult nowadays."
The Choctaws have had a difficult time at the facility basically since making the purchase. They undercut the Cherokee tribe in making he initial deal. Part of the problems involved the area in which the track is situated is Cherokee tribal land. Thus the Choctaws had to deal with a Cherokee Casino near the track, which drew patrons.
The actual impact on racing in Oklahoma will not be known for some time, However, the consequences on thoroughbreds will be less than on other breeds, due to the number of races run at BRD in the past.
( Editors note: The comment regarding patron support is quite interesting, due to the fact the track for many years has had about the same response from patrons as it has had with the Choctaw ownership.)
|
|
