Kentucky Group to Open Racetrack in Mongolia

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A group of Kentuckians has joined with the government of Mongolia to create a Thoroughbred breeding and racing industry from the ground up in that Asian nation, and the first building blocks for that venture are already in place.

While Mongolians have a long and storied history with horses, this will mark the first time for their involvement with the Thoroughbred breed or pari-mutuel wagering.

The Asia-Pacific Equine Investment Company was formed last year in Lexington by a group of horse and related industry professionals expressly to establish a world-class venue and racing product. Among the members are businessman and founder Joe Flynn, former Kentucky governor Martha Layne Collins, horseman Larry Richardson, architect Chenault Woodford of CMW Architects, and William Coplen of Exchange Unlimited.

In addition to racing, the group is involved with introducing simulcasting and conducting gaming in the capital city of Ulaan Baator, and in the future, in a new free economic zone on the border with China called Zamyn Uud.

Asia-Pacific Sports Promotion, a subsidiary of the original company, will operate the racing and gaming operations in cooperation with the Mongolian company Roaring Hooves, which is comprised of numerous individuals and existing racing organizations.

Later this month, the groups will hold a ceremony to sign a lease at the Bayangol Hotel in Ulaan Baator for the new simulcast and gaming center, which is slated to open in October. Additional partners in the center are Planet Hollywood, Libra Securities and PDS Gaming. United Tote of Glen Rock, Pa., has been contracted to install the latest simulcasting equipment, including its new E-Series terminals.

The announcement of Asia-Pacific's board of directors and the Racing Commission members for the Mongolian International Jockey Club will also be made in the near future.

A short meet with native Mongolian horses and some Thoroughbreds will be held next year, with the first full race meet scheduled for 2007. The importation of Thoroughbred breeding stock and racehorses will begin later this year.

Lexington businessman Joe Flynn said he first got the idea when flying over a racetrack upon approach into Ulaan Baator. "I started asking the U.S. Ambassador some questions about racing there," Flynn said. "One gentleman had held a few race dates for Mongolian horses just as a hobby a couple of years ago."

Asia-Pacific will construct a new racing venue on the grounds of the existing racetrack, which is located between the center of the capital city and its international airport; install all new infrastructures and technology; build barns, training facilities, a veterinary hospital and other support buildings and services; and construct the breeding farms and facilities. A jockey's school and training sessions for grooms, racing officials and other facets of the industry are also in the works.

Cooperative agreements for incoming and outgoing simulcast signals are in progress with such jurisdictions as Macau, the Korean Jockey Club, Hong Kong, Beijing, Nanjing, Australia and other areas.

"Once we started talking to people, the Mongolian government officials got very excited about joining with us," said Flynn. "They are actively seeking foreign investment there, and they're fast-tracking their entire economy.

"We entertained a large group of Mongolian government officials in Kentucky last November and our Thoroughbred industry just blew them away," he said. "We had them at Churchill Downs on Thanksgiving Day, and they toured Keeneland, Lane's End, Gainsborough, Stony Oak Training Center, Calumet, Coolmore, the Kentucky Horse Park and many other horse farms, from the smallest to the largest.

"It's incredibly challenging - we're building an entirely new industry in Mongolia," said Flynn. "But this is the kind of project you work toward your entire life."

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