Christian County—Oak Grove specifically—will soon be home to a horse racing facility after a racing license was approved for Churchill Downs and Keeneland to hold races there.
The Kentucky Horse Racing Commission met Friday to consider the application for the proposed harness track in the Oak Grove area. The commission awarded Churchill Downs and Keeneland a racing license for 12 live Standardbred racing dates in October 2019 at the proposed racing venue to be constructed in Oak Grove.
The proposed facility–Oak Grove Meadows–represents a $150 million economic development project for Christian County, would create around 400 full and part time jobs and approximately 800 construction jobs. The project includes a historical racing machine facility featuring up to 1,500 machines, a 125-room hotel with event center and food venues, a 1,200-person seated capacity grandstand, a 3,000-person capacity outdoor amphitheater and stage and an equestrian center including indoor and outdoor arenas.
The live racing plan calls for up to 30 days of racing and a stable area with 450 stalls. Rumors that a horse racing track would come to Oak Grove began many months ago, with Churchill Downs and Keeneland assuring that all that was stopping them was the OK from the commission.