Spring meet racing begins at Ellis Park, animal rights activists protest outside

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Spring meet racing kicked off in front of a large crowd at Ellis Park Saturday afternoon.

Churchill Downs moved the rest of its spring meet to Henderson, Kentucky, after a dozen horse deaths.

Churchill said moving the races would allow the track to do a top-to-bottom review of safety and surface protocols.

Despite the short notice, Ellis Park officials said there were no issues getting the track ready for an early start to the racing season.

"Moving from approximately 30-35 days out to seven days out, everything was expedited," Ellis Park General Manager Matt Pressley said. "But it's been a great environment, all hands on deck, everybody's been willing to jump in, whether it be from a security component or facilities component. From top to bottom, everybody's been very receptive and eager to jump in and do what we had to do."

Trainers at Ellis Park said there have been no issues with the track surface and jockeys are pleased with the performance of the track.

Ellis Park protest.jpeg — Animal rights activists protested outside of Ellis Park on June 10, 2023.

But not everyone was pleased.

A group of animal rights protestors gathered outside Ellis Park. The group is using the recent horse deaths at Churchill Downs to push for a ban on the entire horse racing industry.

The protestors said the industry uses animals for entertainment while treating them in an inhumane way.

One protestor said she believes moving from one track to another isn't the answer.

"Every year 2,000 horses at least die on American race tracks alone," Sandy Jey, an animal rights activist, said. "Every year. This isn't a race track issue, it's an inherently cruel industry that just focuses on money because this is gambling on animals for entertainment."

The group said they plan to hold more demonstrations outside Ellis Park throughout the racing season.

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