Hold Your Horses! Sandy Ridge Is Just Getting Started!

Hold Your Horses!

Sandy Ridge Is Just Getting Started!

Sasha Bush

The Ashland Beacon

There are moments when a new chapter begins quietly. And then there are moments when the gates swing open, horses explode down the track, the crowd erupts, and an entire region realizes it is witnessing something special. That is exactly what happened at Sandy Ridge Racetrack in Ashland.

Revolutionary Racing Kentucky LLC (RRKY), owner and operator of Sandy’s Racing & Gaming and the newly constructed Sandy Ridge Racetrack at 11000 Paul Coffey Blvd. in Ashland, recently celebrated the grand opening of what is now Eastern Kentucky’s only Quarter Horse racetrack. And if the first week is any indication, Sandy Ridge is only getting started.

In partnership with the Kentucky Quarter Horse Racing Association (KYQHRA), RRKY launched its inaugural eight-day race meet at the new Boyd County track, located directly beside Sandy’s Racing & Gaming — Eastern Kentucky’s premier entertainment and Historical Horse Racing destination.

Three race days are already in the books. Five remain and the excitement continues to build.

For Sandy’s Racing General Manager Sara Ann Marlow, the moment the first horses left the gate was one she will never forget. Months of planning, preparation and problem-solving had led to that instant. “When those horses came out of the gate, it was a mixture of relief, excitement and pride,” Marlow said. “I looked around and thought, we actually did it.”

Getting to that moment required an enormous amount of work behind the scenes. The racing surface, barns and backside operations, safety procedures, equipment, starting gate, rail, jockey areas, racing offices, wagering, technology, parking, tents, food and beverage, security, regulatory requirements and guest experience all had to come together.

And they did.

“There were countless meetings and a lot of people working very long days,” Marlow said. “What guests saw during that first race was really the result of an entire team working behind the scenes for months.”

The challenges didn't stop simply because opening day arrived. Weather, construction timelines, equipment, technology and the sheer coordination of countless moving pieces all presented obstacles along the way.

But the approach was simple: solve the problem and keep moving. Marlow said she was extremely proud of how the team responded. And when the gates finally opened, something remarkable happened… The Ridge came alive.

Sandy’s Racing and Gaming captured the emotion of the opening week in a message shared on its official Facebook page. “That’s a wrap on our first week of racing at Sandy Ridge, and what a week it was.” The message thanked the community for showing up, cheering, sharing kind words and helping make history. It was more than a race…It was an experience!

Marlow said one of the biggest surprises was seeing how quickly everything came together once the racing began — and how many people showed up who had never attended a horse race before. Families came, people stayed, and they watched the races, visited food trucks, placed wagers, and experienced something brand new.

And behind every race lies an enormous equine presence. Over the course of all eight race days, Sandy Ridge will welcome a total of 305 horses, and those horses bring more than racing excitement to area.

Every trainer, jockey and owner who comes to Sandy Ridge is staying local, eating local and buying local, Marlow said. That is where Sandy Ridge's impact begins to stretch far beyond the racetrack.

A racetrack doesn't exist in isolation. When horsemen, owners, jockeys and spectators arrive in Boyd County, they need hotels. They visit restaurants. They purchase gas. They shop. They use local services. They bring people into the region who might not otherwise have had a reason to visit. Marlow believes that is one of the most important opportunities Sandy Ridge creates.

The goal is for Sandy Ridge to become another regional attraction — one that helps drive business throughout Ashland, Boyd County and the entire Tri-State. And that economic impact is already beginning to show itself.

During the first week, Marlow saw horsemen and visitors coming into the area, local businesses involved, food trucks and vendors working events, employees gaining additional opportunities and members of the community experiencing Quarter Horse racing for the first time.

“We are only three race days into our very first meet,” she said. “But what we saw during the opening week gives us a very good indication of what this can become.” The people came and the excitement was there. Now, she says, the job is to build on it.

Perhaps one of the most exciting aspects of Sandy Ridge is that people don't have to arrive as lifelong racing fans. Marlow wants the experience to be approachable, entertaining and fun.

Come for the atmosphere, come for the food, come for the entertainment, come for the experience, and then watch a Quarter Horse race.

Quarter Horse racing is fast and exciting, Marlow said, and once people see it in person, it is easy to understand why people enjoy it.

The track also provides an opportunity to educate new fans about the horses, jockeys, trainers and wagering. That could be one of Sandy Ridge's greatest strengths — introducing an entirely new audience to the thrill of live racing.

If anyone thinks Sandy Ridge is a finished product… think again!  “This inaugural meet gives us the opportunity to see what works, listen to our horsemen and guests, and determine where additional investment will make the biggest impact,” explained Marlow.

The track is expected to continue evolving for years to come and the vision extends beyond the eight scheduled racing days. Marlow said Sandy Ridge has the potential to become more than a place people visit eight days a year. Entertainment, community events, and other experiences… the possibilities are endless.

The first priority was launching live racing successfully. Now the team can take everything learned during the inaugural meet and begin looking toward what comes next.

Rocky Adkins put the significance of the opening into perspective. “To be able to celebrate here today, it’s not something that just happened,” Adkins said. “There’s so many parts of the puzzle that had to come together to make today a reality and so many people that worked so hard.” His message was simple: “when people work together, great things happen.”

Governor Andy Beshear echoed the excitement of the moment. “What a good day for Ashland and what a great day for the commonwealth of Kentucky.” Those words may ultimately prove to be bigger than anyone realizes. Because Sandy Ridge isn't simply adding races to a calendar. It is adding another reason for people to come to Eastern Kentucky, another reason to visit Ashland, another gathering place for the community, another opportunity for local businesses, another piece of the region's equine future, and another stage for Quarter Horse racing.

There is no pretending that the full economic impact of Sandy Ridge has already been realized. It is only three race days into its first meet. But that may be what makes the moment so exciting. This is the beginning.

Marlow said success won't be measured by one number. Strong attendance and wagering matter, but so does having horsemen who want to return, guests who want to come back and a community that feels proud to have Sandy Ridge in its backyard.

The ultimate goal is bigger. Five years from now, Marlow wants people to look back at the first race meet and say: “Look at what Sandy Ridge became.”

She wants Sandy Ridge to become a place horseman throughout the racing industry want to compete and a destination families and racing fans look forward to visiting. Most importantly, she wants the community to believe the track helped move Boyd County forward.

Judging by the opening week, that journey has already begun. The next chapter is waiting just beyond the starting gate. And when the gates swing open again on August 26, the Ridge will be ready… then again on August 27… and August 28. Then the final stretch arrives on September 5 and 6.

With approximately $250,000 in total purses on each race day, the competition will be fierce, the horses will be fast, and the excitement will once again belong to Eastern Kentucky.

All remaining race days will feature a 1:30 p.m. post time, with the following themes:

Aug. 26 — Legislature Day

Aug. 27 — Retro Throwback Day

Aug. 28 — Military Day

Sept. 5 — First Responder Day

Sept. 6 — Bluegrass Derby Day

Sandy Ridge has opened its gates. The horses have run. The crowds have cheered. History has been made.

And if the first three days are any indication, the best may be yet to come.