A day after Churchill Downs announced plans to overtake its racing dates in 2020, a Turfway Park representative on Friday said the northern Kentucky track will not go out without a fight.

Churchill Downs announced Thursday its plan to apply to the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission for racing dates from January-March and December of 2020, which traditionally have been the same dates for live racing at Turfway Park in Florence, Kentucky.

Churchill is hoping to secure the racing dates on a long-term basis for its proposed New Latonia facility, which could open for live racing in northern Kentucky as soon as 2021, the Daily Racing Form reported. The KHRC’s next meeting is set for Oct. 15, and racing dates for 2020 must be announced by Nov. 1.

JACK Entertainment, which took over operations of Turfway Park in 2015, announced in April the sale of the racetrack and its downtown Cincinnati casino to Hard Rock International, pending regulatory approval.

In response to Churchill’s announcement, JACK Entertainment CEO Mark Dunkeson issued a statement Friday afternoon.

“We are shocked and thoroughly disappointed by Churchill Downs’ recent attack on Turfway Park, which has been a significant part of the northern Kentucky community for over 60 years,” Dunkeson said. “JACK Entertainment and Hard Rock International will jointly defend the long-standing race dates that have regularly been awarded to Turfway Park and contest the inappropriate actions of Churchill Downs and their attempt to disrupt the Northern Kentucky racing community.”

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Dunkeson went on to say that Churchill’s plan “serves only the best interests of Churchill Downs as part of their desire to restrict competition within the Kentucky racing market.”

Phase One of Churchill’s New Latonia facility is a $150 million project that would include an historical racing machine facility, a clubhouse, a one-mile synthetic main race track, an inner dirt track and stabling facilities. Phase Two could include the addition of a hotel and an investment of up to $50 million.

“Our willingness to make a sizable investment in the neglected northern Kentucky market is our latest effort to improve Kentucky’s valuable horse racing and agriculture industries,” Churchill Downs president Kevin Flanery said in a news release. “Just as Derby City Gaming’s historical racing machines have supercharged purses at Churchill Downs Racetrack, we plan to do the same for northern Kentucky’s racing fans at New Latonia. Our goal is to deliver an ultra-competitive racing product with more entries and high-quality horses that appeal to bettors and horseplayers nationwide.”

Latonia is located about 10 miles northeast of Florence. Latonia Race Track hosted races from 1883-1939 and reopened in Florence in 1959. It was renamed Turfway Park in 1986 when Jerry Carroll and partners purchased the track.

In 1982, Latonia became the first Kentucky track to offer simulcast wagering when the 1982 Marlboro Cup was beamed from Belmont Park. Alysheba broke his maiden at the track in 1986 before going on to win the 1987 Kentucky Derby and Preakness. The track’s current signature race is the $200,000, Grade 3 Jeff Ruby Steaks, a prep for the Kentucky Derby.

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Turfway is the only thoroughbred track in Kentucky that does not offer Historical Horse Racing (HHR) machines, which has been a source of contention with the KHRC. During a meeting last December, commission vice chairman Mark Simendinger expressed frustration with Turfway’s inaction toward adding the machines.

“You have to make a decision,” Simendinger told Turfway officials, according to PaulickReport.com. “You’re either in, as part of Kentucky racing, or you’re out. And that’s OK. Being out’s OK. Just let someone else come in and do it.”

Turfway Park general manager Chip Bach declined to comment Friday, referring all questions to JACK Entertainment.

Dunkeson said “Hard Rock has committed to regulators and Kentucky leaders to investing over $100 million into improving Turfway Park, including the addition of historic racing machines, building race purses and significant enhancements to the racing business. Once these improvements are completed, Turfway will be an exceptional facility.”

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Live racing is set to return to Turfway on Dec. 4, with its Holiday Meet running through Dec. 31. That could be the last day of racing at Turfway if the KHRC awards the January-March 2020 racing dates to Churchill.

Wesley Ward, who shared the training title at Turfway’s 2019 winter/spring meet, said he’s a fan of the track’s synthetic surface but noted the lure of richer purses at Churchill is appealing.

“I’ll be sad to see (Turfway) go, especially with the Polytrack being such safe track,” Ward said. “I’ve never had a horse injured in the morning or afternoon at Turfway. That says a lot.

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“But I’m very excited for Churchill — if it does go through — that the purses will be certainly a lot bigger than the purses at Turfway. Essentially, you don’t want to win but you have to win (at Turfway) to keep things going throughout the winter. The purse structure is just so dismal.”

In August, Churchill Downs announced plans to add a hotel and gaming facility at its Louisville track in time for the 2021 Kentucky Derby.

Jason Frakes: 502-582-4046; jfrakes@courier-journal.com; Twitter: @kyhighs. Support strong local journalism by subscribing today: courier-journal.com/jasonf.