Lincoln's plans to have expanded horse racing this year have run into a snag.
Lincoln Race Course, now called Legacy Downs, had announced plans to run eight days of racing this year, which would have been the most in the city since the track at State Fair Park shut down.
However, that was dependent on more than $2 million worth of track upgrades, including a complete resurfacing, being completed in time.
Lynne McNally, CEO of the Nebraska Horsemen’s Benevolent and Protective Association, said it was not clear whether the track work could be done in time before the races were scheduled to start May 13, "and we don't want to take a chance."
So, instead, the plan is to move the bulk of the races to Fonner Park in Grand Island.
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The Lincoln races had been scheduled to run on four consecutive weekends: May 13-14, 20-21 and 27-28, and June 3-4. Instead, Lincoln will run one race to meet a statutory requirement to be able to offer simulcasting, as it has done in the past, and the rest of the races will be run at Fonner Park for two weekends after the end of its regular racing season, which had been scheduled to be the first Saturday in May, the day the Kentucky Derby is run.
“The week after the Kentucky Derby we will likely race Friday, Saturday and Sunday," Fonner Park CEO Chris Kotulak said in a statement. "The following week we will run Friday and finish on Preakness Saturday.â€
Kotulak said there are still details to be worked out, such as staffing and reserved seating issues, but Fonner Park will wait to make those decisions until after the Nebraska Racing and Gaming Commission considers the plan.
Tom Sage, the commission's executive director, said the proposal will likely be on the agenda for its March meeting, which is scheduled for March 17 in Grand Island.
The Horsemen's group will pay for the costs of running the races at Fonner and is funding the race purses.
Bumpy Game, ridden by Jason Eads, and Kenhedoit, with Jake Olesiak, battle in the first of two live races May 19, 2021, at Lincoln Race Course. Because of track construction, most of the races scheduled at the Lincoln facility this year will be held at Fonner Park in Grand Island.Â