Ellis Park Racecourse
| Location | Henderson County, near Henderson, Kentucky |
|---|---|
| Owned by | Ron Geary |
| Date opened | 1922 |
| Race type | Thoroughbred |
| Official website | |
Coordinates: 37°54′58″N 87°32′39″W / 37.91611°N 87.54417°W
Ellis Park is a thoroughbred racetrack in Henderson, Kentucky, just south of Evansville, Indiana. While the track is located north of the Ohio River that forms the border between Kentucky and Indiana, which would put it within Indiana, the border is based on the course of the river at the time Kentucky became a state in 1792.
Ellis Park was built by the Green River Jockey Club in 1922. It initially held a harness meeting on the Grand Circuit for the total of $32,000 in purses for a five-day race meeting. On November 10, 1922 a 10-day thoroughbred meet with purses of $62,000 was held. The meet was a stop on the train route south to New Orleans for winter racing at Fair Grounds Race Course.
These short meets didn't meet the needs of the track and in 1925, after three years of operation, the Green River Jockey Club went bankrupt. In 1925 James C. Ellis, a Rockport businessman, purchased the track, then called Dade Park. He brought about many changes at the track including adding a totalisator wagering system and a terrace grandstand. The facility was renamed Ellis Park in 1954. James Ellis died in 1956.
The track management was then led by Ellis's nephew, Lester E. Yeager. Under Yeager's leadership a new paddock and jockey's quarters were built, as well as a new clubhouse and stable areas. He gave leadership to Ruth Adkins in the mid 1960s.
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