Saratoga Harness to buy 30 percent of Ellis Park

A Kentucky Horse Racing Commission subcommittee on Wednesday gave approval to Saratoga Harness Racing Inc., the parent company of Saratoga Casino and Raceway in New York, to purchase 30 percent of Ellis Park Thoroughbred track in Henderson, Ky., for $4 million. The proposal will now go to the full racing commission for final approval.

 

According to reports, Ellis Park owner Ron Geary's agreement with Saratoga Harness also includes options for it to acquire another 20 percent of the track over the next four years and then eventually a possible 100 percent. The agreement calls for Joe Rudisill, a Saratoga Harness consulant who helped oversee the remodeling of Ellis Park when it installed the first 187 Instant Racing machines that went into operation last week, to be the track's general manager; Geary said he will remain involved in the daily operations of the track.

 

This is the second major purchase for Saratoga Harness this year. In May it reportedly bought Fitzgeralds Casino-Black Hawk in Colorado.