Water-supply issue keeps fans out of Ellis Park opening day

A water problem that first was declared an “unscheduled grandstand maintenance issue” led to a lockout of fans from Thursday’s opening-day card at Ellis Park. A decision on whether to keep the gates closed for day 2 was expected to be made Friday morning.

“On Wednesday evening strong storms hit the racetrack, causing a temporary power outage to the grandstand that affected the water supply,” said a statement from Churchill Downs, which owns and operates Ellis Park. “Once power was restored, the water levels were insufficient to operate the racing and gaming facility. Until the water levels are restored, we will remain closed to the public.”

The water tank on the north side of the track property was refilled to a point where racing operations could go forward, but it was not enough to accommodate the track’s typically large July 4 crowd.

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“In the best interests of our guest experience and safety, we made the difficult decision this morning to conduct today’s race card without patrons,” Ellis Peneral general manager Matt Pressley said. “I can’t say enough about our staff here at Ellis Park and volunteers within the Henderson community for helping us hold live racing today. While we are disappointed to miss sharing part of opening week with our fans, we will continue to share updates and look forward to opening the track to guests again as soon as possible.”

The races Thursday went ahead as scheduled, and the same is expected Friday, with or without fans.

“Water levels did not cause any changes to conduct live racing and training due to the diligent response of Baskett Fire Department, Hebbardsville Area Volunteer Fire Department, Henderson Fire Department and Niagara Volunteer Fire Department, who all helped restore water levels to continue operations,” the Churchill Downs statement said.

Churchill Downs Inc. bought the track for $79 million in September 2022.