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It took nearly all afternoon for it to happen, but trainer Michael Maker and jockey Miguel Mena stole the show on Claiming Crown Day, Saturday at Ellis Park.
Saturday, August 04, 2007Ellis Park will become the first Kentucky racetrack to host the Claiming Crown when it conducts the ninth renewal of the event Aug. 4. Only once before has the race been held away from Canterbury Park in Shakopee, Minn.
Wednesday, August 01, 2007
Organizers of the Claiming Crown hope its 2007 edition at Ellis Park Aug. 4 goes a long way toward strengthening the foundation of the event that was inaugurated in 1999.
Tuesday, July 31, 2007Saying it was responding to the pleas of horsemen, TrackNet Media Group will offer Aug. 4 Claiming Crown racing at Ellis Park to arch-rivals TVG and Youbet.com, though a company executive said the move doesn't indicate a softening of the hard lines drawn by the parties.
Tuesday, July 24, 2007After Alpena Magic scratched from Wednesday's entries at Ellis Park, track president Ron Geary announced he had privately purchased the 17-year-old from his owner, Kenneth Robinette.
Wednesday, July 11, 2007
The 2007 Old National Bank Claiming Crown, which will be held at Ellis Park for the first time Aug. 4, has received a record number of nominations.
Thursday, June 28, 2007Ellis Park announced a new partnership with local sponsor Old National Bank for the ninth renewal of the Claiming Crown.
Thursday, June 07, 2007TVG announced Feb. 15 that it has discontinued negotiations on extending its television and advance deposit wagering contract with Churchill Downs Inc.
Thursday, February 15, 2007Kentucky tracks would get a tax break for one major racing event per year under legislation introduced in the state General Assembly.
Wednesday, February 14, 2007Ellis Park owner Ron Geary unveiled a new brand and outlined plans for the Henderson, Ky. racetrack's 2007 season during a press conference Jan. 30.
Wednesday, January 31, 2007Mike Miller has resigned his executive posts at Churchill Downs Inc. to accept the position of chief financial officer of Poe Companies, a commercial real estate development company located in Louisville, Ky. His final day with Churchill Downs will be Jan. 26.
Thursday, January 18, 2007The Claiming Crown, to be held for the first time at Ellis Park in western Kentucky, has been scheduled for Aug. 4, officials said.
Friday, December 15, 2006Churchill Downs Inc. reported Tuesday that earnings tumbled in the third quarter, as the year-ago period benefited from a hefty gain on the sale of assets.
Wednesday, November 08, 2006Expanded gambling in Kentucky isn't a front-burner topic right now, but it will be next year when the state holds elections for governor and other top posts, a racetrack official said Nov. 3 during the "Thoroughbred Industry Forum" at Churchill Downs on the eve of the Breeders' Cup World Championships.
Friday, November 03, 2006Churchill Downs' anticipated sale of Ellis Park to a company headed by Kentucky businessman Ron Geary is complete, finalizing a deal that was announced in July.
Friday, September 29, 2006The Kentucky Horse Racing Authority unanimously voted to deny a waiver of the state's new helmet rule for international riders participating in the Breeders' Cup World Championships Nov. 4 at Churchill Downs.
Tuesday, September 26, 2006Ron Geary, who is expected to close on his purchase of Ellis Park in late September, will discuss his vision for the western Kentucky racetrack at an Oct. 2 meeting of the Louisville Thoroughbred Club.
Tuesday, September 19, 2006Kentucky will host its first Claiming Crown in 2007 when the event moves to Ellis Park, the western Kentucky racetrack whose sale to businessman Ron Geary is expected to close in late September.
Tuesday, September 12, 2006Two Churchill Downs Inc.-owned racetracks - Churchill Downs and Fair Grounds - have named Ben Huffman and Sam Abbey as their respective racing secretaries.
Thursday, September 07, 2006Ellis Park posted gains in average daily on-track wagering and attendance for its 36-day meet that ended Sept. 4, its first effort since a tornado damaged the Henderson, Ky., complex last November.
Tuesday, September 05, 2006Churchill Downs, Inc. reported net earnings from continuing operations for the second quarter of $33.4 million, or $2.45 per diluted share, significantly higher than the $22.7 million, or $1.69 per diluted share, earned during the same period in 2005.
Tuesday, August 08, 2006Ellis Park and the Kentucky Thoroughbred Association will sponsor a Scholarship Day Aug. 6th at the Western Kentucky oval.
Wednesday, August 02, 2006Mjaka Stables' Junior College, making his stakes debut, set an Ellis Park track record for 6 1/2 furlongs en route to winning the $50,000 Don Bernhardt Saturday.
Saturday, July 29, 2006Jockeys and their mounts escaped injury Thursday afternoon when a large umbrella, apparently from the trackside picnic area at Ellis Park, blew onto the main track as the field charged down the stretch in fifth race on the program.
Thursday, July 27, 2006Ellis Park was forced to cancel the second half of Friday's race card after a strong line of thunderstorms containing straight-line winds caused the track as well as a large portion of the City of Henderson, Ky., to lose power.
Friday, July 21, 2006Kentucky racing in the summer months hasn't gotten much attention over the years, but that could change if Ron Geary has his way.
Thursday, July 20, 2006Churchill Downs Inc. has reached a definite agreement to sell Ellis Park in western Kentucky to a company owned by Ron Geary, a horse owner who recently retired as president and chief executive officer of ResCare, a Louisville, Ky., based, publicly-held provider of training services and services to persons with developmental and other disabilities.
Monday, July 17, 2006A rebuilt Ellis Park reopens for live racing July 19, only eight months after one of the deadliest tornadoes in U.S. history damaged the racetrack facility and its stable area. The Henderson, Ky., track will conduct a 36-day race meet from July 19 through Labor Day, Sept. 4.
Tuesday, July 11, 2006Ellis Park has adopted a new schedule for accepting entries 72 hours in advance of its races during the meeting that begins July 19.
Thursday, July 06, 2006Former National Thoroughbred Racing Association executive Terry Meyocks said he is working with a group interested in purchasing Ellis Park from Churchill Downs Inc.
Friday, June 23, 2006Ellis Park, the western Kentucky racetrack hit by a tornado last fall, will take a major step forward in its recovery when it reopens for training June 1.
Wednesday, May 31, 2006Five months after a tornado ripped through Ellis Park, efforts to repair and rebuild storm-battered areas of the track are making significant progress as the Henderson, Ky., track prepares to open its 83rd racing season on July 19.
Thursday, April 06, 2006The Kentucky Horse Racing Authority has requested the state auditor conduct an audit of the Kentucky Thoroughbred Development Fund after it discovered two shortfalls as a result of overpayments during meets conducted at Ellis Park.
Monday, March 20, 2006Despite a very trying year in which its company-owned tracks were negatively impacted by two hurricanes, one tornado, and two disease outbreaks, Churchill Downs Inc. on Tuesday reported positive financial results for 2005.
Tuesday, March 14, 2006Legislation to be considered by the Indiana Senate would mandate that incoming simulcasts be made available to all wagering outlets in the state or not be available at all. The bill was reported out of the Senate Committee on Homeland Security, Utilities, and Public Policy Jan. 24.
Tuesday, January 31, 2006The $150,000 Gardenia Handicap (gr. III) tops the 2006 Ellis Park stakes schedule for the track's 36-day 2006 meet that includes 10 stakes races with total purses of $650,000.
Friday, January 13, 2006Brian Elmore, an administrator at Hoosier Park for the past 10 years, has been appointed vice president and general manager at Ellis Park, Churchill Downs announced Jan. 11.
Wednesday, January 11, 2006Though repairs to damage from a Nov. 6 tornado won't be completed by summer, Ellis Park in western Kentucky will conduct its 36-day meet in 2006, parent company Churchill Downs Inc. announced Dec. 28.
Thursday, December 29, 2005Ellis Park reopened its clubhouse for simulcast wagering on Wednesday for the first time since a tornado ripped through the Henderson, Ky. track in the early morning hours of Nov. 5.
Wednesday, November 16, 2005No call at 2 a.m. is good. Rodney Leibring, DVM, received one of those calls on Nov. 6. Leibring, a Thoroughbred racetrack practitioner, was asked by the male caller if he was at Ellis Park yet. Leibring, confused because he wasn't expected there until after 8 a.m., replied, "No why?" The man told Leibring that he needed to get there right away. A tornado had just hit the racetrack's stables, and it didn't look good.
Friday, November 11, 2005The Indiana Horse Racing Commission voted unanimously Thursday, Nov. 10 on a proposed 110-day calendar for the state's Thoroughbred horsemen in 2006. The schedule calls for a 61-day meeting at Hoosier Park in the fall and a revised 49-day program at Indiana Downs next spring.
Friday, November 11, 2005Churchill Downs will be the scene of a charitable fundraising roast and salute to legendary jockey Pat Day this Saturday.
Thursday, November 10, 2005Clean-up efforts were underway at Ellis Park Wednesday to reopen the storm-battered track for simulcasting operations tentatively on Nov. 16.
Wednesday, November 09, 2005Insurance adjusters were at Ellis Park Nov. 7 assessing the damage wrought by a tornado that struck the western Kentucky racetrack early in the morning the previous day.
Tuesday, November 08, 2005Churchill Downs Inc. reported net earnings of $71.6 million for the third quarter of 2005, up from a loss of $3.8 million for the same period last year, thanks to the sale of Hollywood Park in Southern California.
Tuesday, November 08, 2005Veteran trainer Bernie Flint is a native of New Orleans who has spent most of his racing career based at Churchill Downs, but the 65-year-old has a soft spot in his heart for Ellis Park.
Sunday, November 06, 2005The Kentucky Horse Racing Authority granted Ellis Park 36 live racing dates in 2006 during a special meeting Oct. 31, but denied dates to a proposed Quarter Horse and Standardbred track in the southeast region of the state.
Monday, October 31, 2005Paul Kuerzi, who has served as vice president and general manager of Ellis Park since 1999, has announced plans to leave the Henderson, Ky., track at the end of the year.
Friday, October 21, 2005Ellis Park is seeking to reduce its number of race days per week in 2006 from five to four, but approval of the change has been stalled by opposition from the Kentucky Horsemen's Benevolent and Protection Agency.
Monday, October 17, 2005Weather concerns that ranged from searing heat to torrential rains were a factor in declines in attendance and wagering as Ellis Park concluded its 41-day 2005 meet on Sept. 5.
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