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[ScottJ]

Some observations based on the reporting. Honestly, if anyone can follow the logical flow of this decision making other than trying to fix a public relations nightmare, have at it.

[1] Per HISA's Lisa Lazarus, "...we have been so far unable to draw conclusions about the cause of the recent equine fatalities at Churchill Downs". This is either a positive conclusion or negative conclusion, but for the outcome to be that racing is "fine for this weekend and bad for next week" makes no logical sense at all. By next week, more will be known and logical action could possibly be taken.

[2] Per the article, "Diagnostics testing of the racetrack by experts have not raised concerns and the experts have concluded that the surface is consistent with prior measurements from Churchill Downs in past years." Hence, either the testing is invalid or the outcomes are not directly correlated to the surface. Therefore, what organization is reviewing the surface testing process as HISA does not seem to have the expertise in this area?

[3] If the Churchill surface is still the current concern, what testing has been done at Ellis Park to validate that it can host the June 10th to July 3rd meet?

Let me offer a slightly different view. Remember that CDI is a publicly traded corporation (CHDN). The fiduciary responsibility is to the shareholders, not the horsemen and not the wagering public. The current share price ($142) is valuing the company at 30%+ below estimated free cash flow valuations. Churchill purchased Ellis for $79 million last year. [Whew, thank goodness we made that purchase (used that capital) in the "nick of time".] Perhaps we can leverage that facility to keep the Kentucky racing industry rolling while our $200 million investment on the Churchill upgrades can move forward?