Churchill Downs Incorporated has confirmed they will place their Ellis Park extension at the intersection of Wrights Landing Rd and U.S. Highway 60 East in a statement from CDI officials.
“We are starting the development plan approval process to construct our Ellis Park extension project on 20 acres at the corner of U.S. Highway 60 East and Wrights Landing Road in eastern Daviess County,” Communications Manager Logan Spradlin said in a statement Friday morning.
Spradlin said they look forward to sharing more details about the “regional tourism destination,” including the total investment and a groundbreaking date in the weeks ahead.
Owensboro Times previously reported in June the facility is slated to cost $75 million. The decision to move out to the county came after the City Commission rejected Churchill’s proposal, according to the spokesperson.
OT broke the news about the initial plans for the Ellis Park expansion in October 2021, and in March 2022 OT was the first to report Ellis Park had reached a definitive lease agreement with TSM Holdings LLC to lease 62,000 square feet in the former JCPenney’s location.
The project at the mall was estimated to cost $20 million. Construction was originally supposed to begin in summer 2022 with an anticipated opening date in early 2023, but little progress was ever made on the building.
In September 2022, CDI announced it had signed a definitive agreement to acquire Ellis Park Racing & Gaming in Henderson for total consideration of $79 million in cash. The agreement called for CDI to assume Ellis Park’s track extension facility project in Owensboro.
According to a release at the time, “CDI has commenced planning to make both critical investments in the Ellis Park racing infrastructure and to construct Owensboro Racing & Gaming, a track extension and entertainment venue at Owensboro’s Towne Square Mall that will feature 600 HRMs, a simulcast wagering center, and multiple food and beverage offerings.”
Company officials said CDI expected its total investment in Henderson and Daviess counties to be approximately $75 million in addition to the purchase price.
A week after the acquisition announcement, the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission officially approved Churchill Downs’ purchase of Ellis Park.
