Jockey Jesus Salazar (center, blue), races at Fair Meadows in 2011. CORY YOUNG/Tulsa World file
Fairgrounds officials have had preliminary discussions with the Osage, Cherokee and Creek nations about ending live horse racing at Fair Meadows Race Track while retaining the tribes’ annual $2 million payment to the track, Expo Square President and CEO Mark Andrus said Thursday.
Andrus stressed that the fairgrounds is not close to an agreement with any of the tribes.
Last week, the Osage Nation requested a draft copy of such an agreement.
Andrus said no other tribe has asked for or been provided with the draft agreement because talks have not progressed to that point.
“My position has not changed in the five years I have had this job. We will always continue to explore and discuss any and all options for maximizing revenue and financial security for Expo Square,” he said. “The nationwide decline of live horse racing is well-documented.
“Fair Meadows does not generate sufficient revenue to sustain the facility. Declining attendance coupled with increasing losses for the operation of the live meets have put the future of live racing at Fair Meadows in doubt.”
Debbie Schauf, executive director of the Oklahoma Quarter Horse Racing Association, said Thursday that she would reserve comment until she had a chance to look into the matter further.
In 2012, the fair board voted without comment to approve a $1.44 million-a-year agreement with the Creek Nation that included a provision ending live horse racing at Fair Meadows and renaming the QuikTrip Center.
Horsemen across the state criticized the board for its handling of the matter and claimed that they had not been included in discussions leading up to the vote.
Without a license to hold live races, Fair Meadows would not have received the $2 million a year it was getting from the Creek, Osage and Cherokee tribes in lieu of having gaming machines.
The horsemen, meanwhile, were concerned that the tribes would not continue paying into a fund that went to horse-racing purses statewide. The purse fund averaged $6.8 million a year between 2007 and 2011.
The agreement eventually was rescinded, and the fairgrounds was without a naming rights agreement for the Expo Center until May, when it reached an agreement with the River Spirit Casino.
The casino is operated by the Creek Nation. The Expo Center is now called River Spirit Expo.
