Ellis Park Picks, Entries and Results

Ellis Park Track Details

Address: 3300 US-41, Henderson, KY 42420
Website: www.ellisparkracing.com

Meeting: Ellis Park currently conducts racing throughout August and into September, filling in the gaps when Churchill Downs is closed and before Kentucky Downs opens. The meet no longer has any graded stakes after the Groupie Doll was downgraded from a Grade 3 to listed in 2019, but there are still several $100,000 stakes races that dot the calendar. Five such races take place on a Kentucky Downs Preview Day, which serve as preps for its fellow track’s biggest day.

History: Ellis Park was built by the Green River Jockey Club in 1922 on a tract of land just north of the Ohio River in Henderson, KY. Though the river forms a natural barrier between Indiana and Kentucky, with the former to the north and the latter to the south, the border is based on the course of the river at the time Kentucky became a state in 1792. The track initially conducted very short meets as it was intended to be a way-point for horses venturing to the Fair Grounds for winter racing, but this strategy proved inviable and it was sold to James C. Ellis, its namesake, not long after its opening. In 2012, Saratoga Casino and Raceway became a minority owner, and in 2018 the group acquired the track outright. The track was actually modeled after Saratoga Race Course, and features a similar 1 â…›-mile dirt main track, to go along with a one-mile turf course, which was installed in 1993.

Facilities: Ellis Park sits on 210 acres and has a 6,000-seat grandstand. The track offers several different ways to take in the races, including the Turf Club, an exclusive area at ground level, the Sky Theatre, the Clubhouse, and a Grandstand Box, in addition to general admission. Ellis also holds a few giveaway days during their summer meet, occasionally conducts twilight racing, and even hosts concerts.