Officials with Ellis Park announced the venue would be closed to the public today. According to a release, the opening day July 4 races will proceed as planned but without patrons in the stands.
The release stated the closure resulted from an unexpected grandstand maintenance issue.
Update: Officials said last night’s storms created a power issue in the grandstand that disrupted the water supply. The water tank was able to fill up to a level to keep racing operations on as normal, but not to an adequate enough level to open the grandstand to patrons.
“This was a really difficult decision we had to make this morning, but due to an unscheduled maintenance issue, we have to conduct today’s race card without patrons,” General Manager Matt Presley said. “We are still going to run all nine races as scheduled and update everyone as soon as possible when the facility will be back open to fans.”
The release advised fans to watch and wager on today’s races at www.tinspires.com, FanDuel TV, and the Churchill Downs LIVE app on smart TVs.
Ellis Park Racing and Gaming is located in Henderson, KY, just north of the Ohio River. It’s been the home of summer thoroughbred racing in Kentucky for over 100 years, traditionally launching the summer campaign on the Fourth of July. The venue now features a gaming entertainment venue with approximately 300 historical racing machines.
