Churchill Downs has reached an agreement with a retired Louisville businessman to sell Ellis Park race track in western Kentucky.

The Kentucky Horse Racing Authority approved the sale of the 85-year-old track in Henderson to Ron Geary on Monday. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Geary recently retired as the president and CEO of ResCare, a Louisville-based business that is the nation’s largest provider for service with people who have developmental disabilities.

Geary will manage operations at the track until the sale is complete, Churchill Downs said in a statement. Ellis Park begins its summer meet on Wednesday.

Ellis Park underwent major renovations this spring following a tornado in November 2005. The storm killed three horses, knocked down nine barns and tore through the track’s grandstand. The same storm killed more than 20 people across the Ohio River in southwestern Indiana.

Geary said the renovations at the track will breathe some life into the horse racing industry in the area."If there is a chance at a renaissance here, this is it," Geary said. "We want to restore the traditions of the track and trying to get more of the folks who used to come here to come back."

As part of the deal, Ellis Park will remain part of Churchill Downs’ Simulcasting Network for an undisclosed period of time.

Ellis Park is the second track that Churchill Downs Inc. has sold in the last two years. The company sold Hollywood Park in Inglewood, Calif., last year.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, July 18th, 2006 at 9:52 am and is filed under Ellis Park, Horse Racing Industry, Race Tracks News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.