Horsemen who attended the meeting noted that the closing was just an announcement on the OHRC agenda, and no action was requested. The Choctaw Nation, which owns and operates the racetrack under the name Backstretch LLC, notified the OHRC on Oct. 12 that the racetrack would close permanently on Nov. 28, the last day of the fall race meet.
FUTURITY MOVED
The OHRC also discussed how to best run the Black Gold Futurity, at one time owned by the track’s former owner, the late Ralph Shebester. When the Choctaw Nation bought the racetrack in 2003 for a reported $4.25 million, the Black Gold Futurity was sold to the Oklahoma Quarter Horse Racing Association, which continued to hold the Black Gold program at Blue Ribbon Downs. Those who attended the meeting said the first leg of the Black Gold program will be held in May at Remington Park in Oklahoma City, and the other legs will be held at Will Rogers Downs in Claremore.
The Black Gold Futurity program is a limited futurity based on the number of stallions who are entered in the program. The colts and fillies sired by those stallions are then eligible for the Black Gold Futurity, and entry fees are paid as the horses mature. During their second year, the horses run at various and traditional Quarter Horse distances, and those who place in those races are eligible for the final futurity run at the end of the year. At one time the purse for the Black Gold Futurity finals was $1 million.
The OHRC also confirmed race dates for the three remaining tracks in Oklahoma, which are Remington Park, Fair Meadows in Tulsa, and Will Rogers Downs.
Meeting is Sunday
Local horsemen are meeting at 10:30 a.m. Sunday at the Blue Ribbon Downs Chapel to determine if anything can be done to keep the racetrack open.
State Rep. Glen “Bud” Smithson is expected to speak at the meeting. At a meeting last week Smithson said he would do all he could to keep the track open.
A Choctaw Nation spokesman said last week the racetrack is for sale, but a partnership of horsemen who hoped to buy the racetrack said the Choctaws quit working on negotiations for the track last month, and the partnership members were not told why.
About 150 employees at Blue Ribbon Downs will receive pay and medical insurance through the end of the year, and their end-of-the-year bonuses, the tribe said. But the economic impact on those who own and train horses to run at Blue Ribbon Downs, those who work for racehorse owners and trainers, and on the related businesses will suffer the most, the horsemen have said.
