Breeders Cup for the Horse fans in Dallas....

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Lone Star Park gets 2004 Breeders' Cup
07/13/2002

By GARY WEST / The Dallas Morning News


Lone Star Park at Grand Prairie has been designated the host racetrack for the 2004 Breeders' Cup World Thoroughbred Championships. The Breeders' Cup board of directors made the announcement Friday.

Earlier this year, the Breeders' Cup directors agreed on a tentative rotation of host racetracks for horse racing's championship event: Arlington Park this year, Santa Anita next year, Churchill Downs in 2004 and Lone Star Park in 2005. But because Churchill Downs is planning a vast renovation project that possibly won't be completed until 2005, the board Friday revised the rotation, moving Lone Star up a year.

The Breeders' Cup World Thoroughbred Championships, a series of eight races worth at least $13 million, annually attracts the best horses, jockeys and trainers from around the world. To accommodate the large crowd that attends the event, Lone Star is planning $8 million in improvements.

Last month, Grand Prairie Mayor Charles England signed an agreement granting Lone Star $2.9 million for capital improvements. The money will come from revenue generated at the racetrack, from, in other words, the city's share of such things as concessions and parking. He said the deadline to finish the construction is tight.

"It will be hard to meet, but we'll do it," England said at the time.

The Grand Prairie money actually exceeds the $2 million in tax abatements already authorized by the state for any Texas track hosting the Breeders' Cup. Lone Star will need to make about $8 million in improvements before it can be ready. It must expand the facility, increase seating capacity from 10,000 to 50,000 and build new barns. And it will begin with those improvements in the fall, track president and general manager Corey Johnsen said two weeks ago.

"We've come so far," Johnsen said, "and we're not going to miss it just because we're not ready. We'll be ready."

The reason for the schedule change is a $100 million renovation project at Churchill Downs. At a recent meeting, the Churchill board withheld final approval of the project pending the completion of details regarding public financing. And this week, Churchill reached an agreement with the city for a 30-year tax break.