Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, July 2, 1993 TAG: 9307020089
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: B4 EDITION: STATE
SOURCE: The Washington Post
DATELINE: LENGTH: Short
Officials of Churchill Downs, home of the Kentucky Derby, said their facility for thoroughbred and harness racing would include seating for up to 6,000 people and stables for 1,400 horses. It would be located on 245 acres just south of Oceana Air Force Base three miles from the oceanfront.
The Kentuckians are among six groups vying for a single license that the Virginia Racing Commission has said it will award sometime next year.
In addition to winning a license, Churchill Downs must get voter approval for lucrative off-track betting parlors, if their track is to be financially viable. The group also needs more than $20 million in bank financing, and it must persuade the Virginia Beach City Council to approve other incentives, such as road improvements and backing for revenue bonds.
Churchill Downs President Thomas H. Meeker said Thursday that the track would promote horse racing "in a state that has a true affinity for the horse and a long-standing tradition with the equine industry."
The Virginia Beach track, which would not open before 1996, would offer 100 days of racing in the first year and eventually would operate from April through December.
The Virginia Beach site would lure vacationers as well as local residents, Churchill Downs spokesmen said. However, its distance from other tracks would reduce its ability to attract good horses, some competitors said.
Keywords:
HORSE RACING
by CNB