Wyoming’s First 1-Mile Horse Track Sprinting Toward October Opening In Cheyenne

CHEYENNE — Raindrops were landing “splat” this past week on the dusty grounds of what will be Wyoming’s first 1-mile racetrack 10 miles east of Cheyenne, but work wasn’t slowing down Monday inside the five barns that will soon house 400 racehorses. 

Bally’s Cheyenne Park is off to a race of its own against a Tuesday inspection of its barns. The results of that inspection will decide whether any races can happen this year.

If the track passes, horses could be training soon and spectators will be watching Wyoming’s first true 1-mile oval when racing begins Oct. 2.

Around the barns, construction crews were still leveling dirt, digging out trenches, and wiring temporary betting trailers. But to hear Bally’s Executive Director of Racing Shannon Rushton tell it, the project is closer to its final furlong than it looks. 

“Rain doesn’t hurt us really, especially right now,” Rushton told Cowboy State Daily, gesturing to the track on which he was driving. “There’s about 8 inches of what we call cushion that we’re driving on right now. And as we get ready to bring this track back to life next week, the water will kind of help expedite that.”

The track’s surface is harder than it should be for a racetrack. Come race day, it will be a 3- to 4-inch cushion of much softer, fluffier stuff.

“As we start to water it next week, we’ll put our harrows and what we call conditioners on it,” Rushton explained. “That’ll start to churn that material back up. It’ll look completely different 10 days from now than what you see here.

"It’ll be a proper racetrack at that point and time, and hopefully ... we’ve got approval by the state and we’re ready to let horses move in and start to train.”

Wyoming’s First True 1-Mile Oval

Rushton has worked in the horse-racing industry for more than 30 years, but Wyoming’s newest and longest track represents a first for his career.

“This is the first track I’ve ever built from the ground up,” he said. “That makes this very exciting for me. And actually opening day, Oct. 2, is my birthday.”

When the track opens, it will mark a first in Wyoming horse racing history. 

Wyoming Downs’ track in Evanston is almost a mile. It’s also narrower, Rushton said. 

“This track is much wider than theirs, which makes it safer,” he said. “We can run 12 to 14 horses here. They run 10.”

That means more maneuvering room for high-spirited horseflesh. 

Bally’s envisions purses of $100,000 per day for a $1.6 million, 16-day season from Oct. 2 to Nov. 1. 

County Fair Atmosphere

For its first year, Bally’s will rely on a number of temporary facilities, which Rushton said will lend a “county fair atmosphere” to this year’s racing season.

“What’s finishing up here is just a concrete retaining wall, which will be the viewing area in through here, and it will all be paved,” he said, gesturing toward a retaining wall in front of the finish line.

Bleachers will fill the space the first year, with permanent grandstands to follow in later seasons.

“We’ll have VIP tents, different things like that for folks to be able to sit in and enjoy the experience,” he said. 

Nearby, a cluster of temporary modular structures will house betting machines. A different cluster will serve as jockeys’ quarters. 

One of the units will serve as an administrative building for the Wyoming Division of Gaming.

“This smaller trailer will be part of what we call the test barn, where they’ll do the blood and urine testing on the horses,” Rushton said. “Usually, testing for the winner and another horse after each race will occur in this area here, and it will be fenced in for privacy.”

All the temporary facilities will be replaced eventually with permanent buildings, Rushton added. And more barns will also be built. 

“We’ll eventually try to get to about 1,000 or 1,200 horses,” Rushton said. “So there’ll be more barns built after this season. This just gets us started out of the gate.”

Continuous Front-Range Racing Circuit

In February, the Wyoming Gaming Commission approved Bally’s takeover of the project, which was first envisioned as Thunder Plains Park by father-and-son Wyoming developers Bill and Will Edwards. 

Under the terms of their deal, once construction wraps, the Edwards get a 20% minority stake, Cowboy State Daily has been told in previous interviews. Bally’s intends to acquire 100% ownership within the next few years. 

Rushton said he’s known the Edwards for about three years and heard from them that they were looking for a stronger partner to help them finish their racetrack. 

“We talked about it and thought it might be a good fit for Bally’s to get involved in this,” Rushton said. “We also have a racetrack in Colorado and then they own a harness track in Dover, Delaware.”

Disappearing Racetracks Benefit Wyoming 

Racetracks, Rushton acknowledged, are disappearing from many other states. 

“More racetracks are being closed than being built,” he said. “So that’s why it’s kind of exciting that we’re part of building a new one.”

The loss of racetracks in those states has been the Wyoming racetrack’s gain. The project has been able to acquire some of the equipment it needed at a steep discount. And, as racing venues shrink, it’s bringing new riders and horses to the Cowboy State’s races.

By taking in the Cheyenne facility, Bally’s gains a continuous Front Range racing circuit. Arapahoe Park in Colorado, about 100 miles away, wraps up mid-August — perfectly timed for jockeys, trainers, and horses to transition north for the Oct. 2 opener in Cheyenne. 

That retains racing revenue, stabling fees, and athletic talent in Bally’s ecosystem year-round. It also builds on Wyoming’s existing horse-racing industry. 

Renée Jean can be reached at renee@cowboystatedaily.com.