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It's off to the races at Legacy Downs in Lincoln on Friday, the racetrack’s first day of live racing.
The track will host around 90 races in the next five weeks, the most extensive slate of racing in Lincoln since the closure of State Fair Park more than a decade ago.
The expanded racing is helping keep Nebraska horse owners, jockeys and caretakers in the state while generating more betting revenue, said Lynne McNally, CEO of the Nebraska Horsemen’s Benevolent and Protective Association (NHBPA).
McNally said live racing is uniquely exciting for horse racing fans.
“You really have to be there to experience it,” she said. “It's just a one-of-a-kind experience that everybody would enjoy.”
NHBPA is a group of horse owners and trainers from around the state. It owns two tracks -- Legacy Downs and Horsemen’s Park in Omaha -- and is partnering with WarHorse Casino for the live meet. McNally said the betting revenue is valuable for the industry.
“We use the revenue that we generate from our share of the casino revenue to put into live horse racing, which promotes live racing and horse breeding in the state as well,” McNally said.
McNally said Nebraska was a leader in horse racing until the historic Ak-Sar-Ben racetrack in Omaha closed in 1995. She and the NHBPA worked to get three ballot initiatives to voters in 2020, aiming to regulate and tax casino gambling at Nebraska racetracks. All three measures passed.
Most of the taxable gambling revenue goes toward property tax relief, while counties and cities where the racetrack casinos are located get the second-largest cut.
As Nebraska looks to become a horse racing front-runner again, long racing seasons serve as incentives to keep racers in in the state. When there are off-weeks and a lack of races, racers need to leave the state to find races, which McNally says the industry is trying to prevent.
“We're hoping to increase days to the point where, if you're a Nebraska horseman and you would like to stay in the state and run all year, you will be able to do that and support yourself financially,” McNally said.
Nebraska law requires at least one race per day of racing to include Nebraska-bred racehorses, and 3% of the prize money must go to the horse’s breeder. This, and many other legal measures surrounding Nebraska horse racing, aim to keep money in the state’s racetrack industry, she said.
The purse money for this year’s Legacy Downs races ranges from $20,000 to $30,000 per race. The races are free and open to the public, and those over 21 can take part in betting.
McNally said Gov. Jim Pillen will be at Legacy Downs on Friday to lead the post-parade on horseback.
There are 33 total weekends of horse racing in Nebraska this year, with the first races having occurred at Grand Island’s Fonner Park from Feb. 15 to last weekend. Legacy Downs’ live meets continue until June 8, after which Harrah’s Racing & Casino in Columbus will host a month of racing and then Horsemen’s Park in Omaha will close out July with two weekends of racing.