Oak Grove’s Festival of Racing could serve as a launching pad to bigger things
by James Platz
The racing world is two weeks removed from the thrilling 152nd running of the Kentucky Derby, the pinnacle of thoroughbred racing. This weekend, at the Churchill Downs Incorporated-led Oak Grove Racing & Gaming, officials look to begin a new harness racing tradition in the Bluegrass State. Saturday (May 16), the track will play host to the inaugural $500,000 Oak Grove Trotting Derby and $300,000 Oak Grove Trotting Oaks, stakes that the Kentucky Harness Association’s Kenny Jackson hopes will develop into key events on the racing calendar.
“We are tremendously pleased,” Jackson said. “We had 101 nominations between the colts and the fillies. So, in this first year, we’re incredibly excited. The entries into the eliminations were fantastic. With the colts and fillies, there were 48 horses, so the support is incredible. From what we’re seeing right now and from what we’re hearing, there’s a real buzz.”
The two stakes anchor the track’s Festival of Racing, which culminates in a day that will feature an 11-race program, the Preakness Stakes simulcast, and capped with a concert by country music artist Jake Owen. Oak Grove’s program features $1.5 million in purses, with the two featured events complemented by a quartet of $100,000 Kentucky Sire Stakes finals, Oaks and Derby consolations and a pair of $50,000 4-year-old open events. The facility, located an hour from Nashville, has come a long way since first opening in October 2019.
“When Oak Grove started in year one, we started with 16 racing days and I think our purses were, at that time, $600,000,” Jackson said. “By the end of this season, including sire stakes, overnights, and stakes, we’ll probably push over $11 million in purses. The reason behind the growth and success and creating this niche is tremendous support from the entire Churchill Downs team from top to bottom, in management and even on the execution team on the local level. I’d say the other thing that’s made it work and be a great experience for everybody involved is that everyone is rowing the boat in the right direction. We keep a positive attitude towards growth and realize that everything can’t be perfect overnight, but with time we can achieve the goals we want to achieve.”
Partnering with CDI, a team that knows how to put on big events, and with the benefit of revenue from historical horse racing machines, Jackson’s goal is to build upon the inaugural Festival of Racing. He is drawing upon his experiences in the standardbred and thoroughbred industries; as a co-owner of Kentuckiana Farms, and owner and breeder campaigning horses in both breeds. Taking cues from the Road to the Kentucky Derby and Breeders’ Cup World Championships, he would like to see Oak Grove’s events become graded, premier events that lead into the Hambletonian.
“From the racing perspective, it becomes one of the top signature events in our industry,” he said of his vision for the Trotting Derby. “It kicks off the racing schedule each year for 3-year-old trotters. It’s recognized for what we hope it is becoming rapidly as truly one of the elite prep races for the Hambletonian, and that the experience that people have at the event will be shared, and give us the opportunity to use those people as ambassadors to help us grow it in future years.”
Attract racing fans and provide a first-class experience. Attract top racing talent — horses and their connections — by offering lucrative purses early on the calendar where few opportunities currently exist. It is a recipe stakeholders believe will lead to success. And if Oak Grove is viewed as a key stop on the path to the Hambletonian, it would be to everyone’s benefit.
“When Churchill Downs created the Road to the Kentucky Derby, handle grew exponentially not only at their track,” Jackson said. “I mean it was just huge growth, but all the tracks that were fortunate enough to have a race as part of that road, you see their handle go up on those days that those stakes are being raced.”
While the inaugural card has yet to be contested, interest is already high for future editions. This year’s stakes were seeded with a combination of 22 champion 2-year-olds from select open stakes and regional sire stakes winners through a “Win and You’re In” format, as well as nominated trotters that did not automatically gain entry though a victory in the aforementioned events.
For the 2027 events, 2-year-olds could be made eligible for $250 by the March 15 deadline. Failing to make a horse eligible by the deadline will result in a $2,500 supplemental payment next year to go along with the $500 nominating and $500 sustaining fees. Jackson was blown away by the interest the Derby and Oaks generated.
“The number of 2-year-olds that made that nomination for 2027 participation so far exceeded anybody’s expectations,” he said. “It’s really exciting. I haven’t shared it publicly, but the number is over 550. It’s a massive number.”
Another massive number, and a target for operators, is the growing Nashville metropolitan area: over 1.3 million inhabitants as of 2023. It is one of the fastest growing metro areas in the United States, and one lacking a strong harness racing presence.
“We have an incredible opportunity to introduce harness racing to Western Kentucky and Nashville,” Jackson said. “It’s got a huge love for the horse and we’re an hour away, so part of the long game is to create a signature event that you can go promote to new people that may not even know what harness racing is and probably don’t. Last Saturday alone they had 35,000 people at the steeplechase and we’re working closely with the management team that has put on the steeplechase for the last 20 plus years and we’re excited to build a relationship with a huge audience of people and professionals and horse lovers, to introduce them to the performance racing side of our game.”
Saturday’s Festival of Racing is a big step forward for Oak Grove Racing & Casino. It could serve as a launching pad to much bigger things. And, for the sake of our industry, let’s hope that it does.
