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Idaho horse racing stumbles ... again Idaho - March 15, 2011 - Horse racing in Ada County just can’t seem to get out of the starting gate. On Tuesday, the Board of Ada County Commissioners unanimously rejected the only bid the county received to operate live and simulcast horse racing at Les Bois Park. The county rejected Treasure Valley Racing’s bid because it did not meet the county’s requirements in several areas including rent, length of the lease, landscaping and cash bond deposit. Treasure Valley Racing is joint Alabama-Idaho venture. Its members include Scott Phelps, Larry Williams, Harry Bettis and James Grigsby, Jr. Commissioners Rick Yzaguirre and Vern Bisterfeldt both said they hoped a better agreement could be negotiated. The county started looking for a new horse-racing operator after Idaho Entertainment LLC terminated its lease agreement on Dec. 31. Ada County awarded Idaho Entertainment the lease in mid-2009, but the company was never able to start racing because it could not reach an agreement with the Idaho Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association, the group designated by the Idaho State Racing Commission as the horsemen's representative. The two parties could not agree on the number of live racing days and how to share the proceeds from live and simulcast racing. Without such an agreement, Idaho Entertainment could not obtain a racing license from the governor-appointed state commission. Read more: Idaho Statesman