SEARCH NEWS:

 

Entry box stuffed at Ocean Downs

Berlin, MD (Press Release) -- June 29, 2000 -- When race secretary Rick Kane opened the Ocean Downs entry box on June 21 he found something quite surprising -- entries.

Upon his arrival from Freehold Raceway in 1999, Kane was met with 27 entry forms filled out and placed in the box by horse owners hoping to get their horses entered in pari-mutuel races. This year Kane discovered there were 140 entries already submitted, an increase of over 400 percent.

The high number of preseason entries can be directly attributed to Kane's off-season work. He and Bally's at Ocean Downs chief operating officer Donald Codey held several winter meetings and decided to make some moves to combat the horse shortage the track has endured during the beginning of previous meets.

As a result, several early-closing series have been moved to the beginning of the meet, including the Isle of Wight Bay, the Assateague Island, and the Miss Conna Adios. Both the Isle of Wight Bay and the Miss Conna Adios series are held to commemorate legendary horses that raced on the Delmarva Peninsula in the 1960s and '70s.

Kane also made improvements to the Race Office section of the Bally's at Ocean Downs Web site, www.oceandowns.com. Horse owners can now download stall applications, condition sheets, draw schedules, and late-closer nominating forms at home, saving time and a trip to the race track.

Bally's at Ocean Downs is also benefiting from a schedule change at Colonial Downs in New Kent, Va. Colonial Downs has moved its live racing season from the spring to the fall, freeing up more horses to race at Ocean Downs.

The 2000 live racing meet at Bally's at Ocean Downs begins Friday, June 30 and runs through Saturday, September 2. Bally's at Ocean Downs is located at the intersection of routes 50 and 589, four miles west of Ocean City, Md. For more information, call: (410) 641-0600.

< Gaming News