by Tom LaMarra, USTA Web Newsroom Correspondent

Lexington, KY — The finishing touches are being applied to the under-construction Hollywood Gaming at Dayton Raceway, which is scheduled to begin operating video lottery terminals Aug. 28 and host its first harness meet beginning Oct. 3.

Hollywood Gaming at Dayton Raceway will host its first harness meet beginning Oct. 3.

Dayton Raceway is using the racing license of Raceway Park, the Toledo track that ended live racing last year and full-card simulcasts this year. Penn National Gaming Inc. owns both properties and won Ohio State Racing Commission approval to relocate in order to offer gaming in what is characterized as an underserved market.

The facility is located in northern Dayton just off Interstate 75 and less than two miles from the Interstate 70 interchange.

The footprint for the Dayton facility is similar to that of Hollywood Gaming at Mahoning Valley Race Course, a Thoroughbred track under construction just west of Youngstown. Mahoning Valley, also owned by PNGI, will race under the transferred Beulah Park license.

The grandstand at Dayton has two floors, the second of which has a sports bar, stadium seating, and table seating with food service. There is an apron for evenings when the weather is accommodating.

“I like the way the tracks turned out,” PNGI vice president of racing Chris McErlean said of Dayton and Mahoning Valley. “We certainly sized them right on the racing and gaming sides.”

Tom LaMarra photos

The ship-in barn at Dayton will have 126 stalls for racehorses and nine in the testing area.

A highlight for horsemen will be the ship-in barn at Dayton. There are 126 stalls for racehorses and nine in the testing area. There will be unlimited hot water and a quality heating system, said Mark Loewe, vice president of Ohio racing operations for PNGI.

Dayton has a five-eighths-mile track as do Miami Valley Gaming & Racing and Scioto Downs Racino; the objective of the OSRC is to have those three tracks form a year-round circuit. Hard Rock Rocksino at Northfield Park will continue to race year-round.

Purses will average about $60,000 to start, McErlean said. Racing will be held mostly five nights a week — Mondays and Wednesdays through Saturdays — through Dec. 27.

Dayton next year plans to open for live racing after Labor Day and race through the end of the year.

Ohio Harness Horsemen’s Association executive director Jerry Knappenberger said the organization and PNGI officials will soon begin negotiating a purse percentage from VLTs. By law, Ohio tracks have six months after VLT activation to have such deals in place.