Horse racing could return to Wyoming

CASPER, WY. - April 13, 2011 - A group of investors led by the son of a former Wyoming Downs track owner has applied to bring live horse racing back to the Cowboy State.

The group filed an application Friday with the Wyoming Pari-Mutuel Commission to run four days of live races later this year in Rock Springs. Wyoming Horse Racing LLC is also seeking permission to operate off-track betting sites in Casper, Evanston, Rock Springs and Cheyenne.

Even with the sluggish national economy, there is still an opportunity to run a successful horse racing business in Wyoming, said Eugene Joyce, who heads the group. Joyce’s father, Joseph, owned Wyoming Downs in Evanston from 1989 to 1998.

“There is a huge personal tug to make this successful,” Eugene Joyce said.

Live horse racing in Wyoming has been on the decline for several years. Wyoming Downs — the state’s only operating track — did not run any races in 2010 and failed to apply for live races this year.

That decision came amid a dispute between track operators and the commission over how many race days should be required to obtain an off-track betting permit.

Joyce’s group wants to host races in Rock Springs in late August or early September.

The Sweetwater Downs track hasn’t been used for live horse racing in almost two decades, but Joyce is confident that he can provide “as professional a race meet as has ever been held in Wyoming.”

Joyce helped run off-track betting when his father, who died in 2006, owned Wyoming Downs. He spent the past five years working at the Turf Paradise race track in Phoenix, operating what he says was the second largest off-track betting system in North America.

Off-track, or simulcast betting, helps to subsidize live racing, which normally loses money. Even with the recession, gamblers in Wyoming have wagered between $9 million and $10 million annually on simulcast races.

“There are a lot of positives in Wyoming that counteract the ... negatives you see nationwide in horse racing,” Joyce said. “It gives me hope, and this industry is built on hope, that I can run the off-track betting effectively enough to bankroll a decent live racing program here.”

Joyce thinks his group can increase the number of live race days it offers in 2012. There is also the possibility the group could someday expand off-track betting to more cities.

“I have a plan in place that (the commission) can have confidence in, that short term can get things going this year, and long term could provide a stable industry for all of the participants as we go forward,” he said.

Wyoming Horse Racing’s applications for live and simulcast racing are currently under administrative review, Pari-Mutuel Commission Executive Director Charles Moore said. No date has been scheduled for the commission to consider them.

No other groups have applied this year for live or simulcast racing permits in Wyoming, Moore said Tuesday.

Read more: Billings Gazette