In April, the Greenwood County Fair Board (GCFB) was notified they had been named as the recipient of a $2 million grant from the sports betting fund. The funds are to aide the GCFB in renovating the Eureka Downs facility, with hopes of horse racing returning to the State of Kansas.
Ongoing contract negotiations between the GCFB and the state have occured over the past months and have been finalized resulting in the GCFB sharing they have received $1 million of those funds to start renovations.
Per the contract, the GCFB will be required to follow a strict budget, with specific funds being earmarked for various projects, as it was approved by the state. This grant will be used for updates to the backside and concourse building. Before racing can be held, the crews will need to resurface the track, install new railings, purchase equipment and address other needs in the barn area. For the concourse building, the organization will be looking at the roof, HVAC, plumbing, electricity needs, insulation and bringing the building up to code.
The GCFB plans to begin by hiring an engineer to assist in drainage plans for the track and start research into needs for the future of the Concourse building to serve as a community building and racing venue.
The GCFB hopes to receive the remainder of the grant funding after the first portion has been spent and will also receive funds generated through wagers on Historical Horse Races (HHR). It is believed that the Golden Circle, the former Greyhound Park in Park City, will open in the fall of 2025 with HHR machines. Onethird of the tax revenue generated from wagers on HHR races would be credited to the Kansas Horse Breeding Development Fund and two-thirds would be credited to the Horse Fair Racing Benefit Fund. However, the first $2 million generated by HHR will go to the Kansas Racing and Gaming Commission.
The goal is to allow the GCFB to make many of the needed updates before HHR even begins with the hopes of racing to return to Eureka Downs by spring of 2026.
