Churchill Downs interested in Pittsburgh racetrack
PITTSBURGH (AP) – The company best known for hosting the Kentucky Derby is interested in a thoroughbred horse racing facility near downtown Pittsburgh – but only if Pennsylvania’s Legislature authorizes slot machines at tracks. Louisville, Ky.-based Churchill Downs Inc. and Beaver County developer Charles J. Betters said Wednesday that construction of Pittsburgh Palisades Park, a $500 million facility that would include a one-mile track and more than 1 million square feet of retail and residential development, won’t happen without some form of gambling other than racing.
Betters, one of six developers vying for the remaining thoroughbred horse racing license in the state, introduced Churchill Downs as his prospective partner Wednesday.
“Development of the racetrack is contingent on receiving a license from the Pennsylvania Thoroughbred Racing Commission and legislation that would permit gaming and allow slot machines at tracks,” said Betters, a Beaver County developer.
The entry of Churchill Downs means that companies controlling two of the three legs of thoroughbred racing’s Triple Crown are seeking the last thoroughbred license available in the state. The other company is Magna Entertainment Corp., which owns Pimilco Race Course in Baltimore, site of the second leg of the series, the Preakness Stakes. The Triple Crown’s other leg is the Belmont Stakes.
Magna also owns a harness track in Washington County and has proposed opening a thoroughbred track near Pittsburgh International Airport. Magna officials could not immediately be reached for comment Wednesday afternoon.
William Newlin, Betters’ attorney, said Churchill Downs’ experience plus the preliminary designs for the proposed track about four miles from downtown Pittsburgh should put their plan in the lead for the license.
Churchill Downs owns racetracks in California, Florida, Illinois, Indiana and Kentucky, which have hosted nine Breeders’ Cup World Thoroughbred championships.
Betters envisions an entertainment complex on 650 acres overlooking the Monongahela River. The development would include an area for slot machines, a hotel, retail space and a residential area made up of condominiums and apartments.
“The fact that it is more than a track makes us an incredibly strong candidate,” Newlin said.
The Pennsylvania Horse Racing Commission is looking at rewriting procedures for handling applications, said executive secretary Benjamin Nolt Jr. He said there is no timeline for awarding the final thoroughbred license.
Tom Kauffman, executive director of the Pennsylvania Horse Racing Association, said existing thoroughbred tracks in the state are having a difficult time competing with tracks in neighboring West Virginia and Delaware – both of which have slots.
“One may get the impression that the existing racetracks are thriving, considering the current push in applications for the last license, and that’s certainly not the case,” Kauffman said.
Four of the applications are to open a thoroughbred track in southwestern Pennsylvania. Two other companies have filed applications with an eye toward building in the Philadelphia area.
There are also several companies looking to secure the state’s last remaining harness racing license following the award of a license to a proposed Chester Downs track in southeastern Pennsylvania last week.
Gov. Ed Rendell has proposed legalizing 3,000 slots at each of eight tracks, saying they could raise nearly $800 million a year. Although there are several bills pending before the Legislature, it has not acted on any slots measure so far.
On the Net: Churchill Downs Inc., http://www.churchilldowns.com