Bedford Downs responds

Although the Pennsylvania State Harness Racing Commission stated it would not reveal the reasons it decided to reject the proposals by Centaur Inc. and Bedford Downs Management to build new racetracks in the state until next week, Bedford Downs issued the following press release following Thursday's decision:



Bedford Downs Management, proposing a one-mile harness racing track project, is confident the best candidate will win the remaining harness racing license yet to be assigned by the Pennsylvania Harness Racing Commission.



"While we were surprised by the Commission's decision today, we are confident in their ability to make the best possible decision for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania," explained Carmen Schick, Bedford Downs president and CEO. "We wil have to wait for the adjudication to plan our next course of action. We've simply gone into overtime. But, we're confident Bedford Downs will ultimately be declared the winner. We hope for the support of the Commission so that we can proceed with this project and start creating new jobs.



"Our land is construction ready and the project will begin immediately with the granting of the license," Schick continues. "We have a tremendous amount of unified community and industry support, the backing of our investment partner, Merit Management, and the harness racing industry, that looks forward to the use of our one-mile track."



Bedford Downs Management Corporation, a 100 percent Pennsylvania-based company, is proposing Bedford Downs, a 550-acre racing and entertainment facility near New Castle, just off Routes 60, 551 and 422. The land is owned by the Schick family, and the project promises 2,000 new jobs in just the first phase of construction.

« Back