Harness racing returns to Corbin this weekend as the Mint – Cumberland Run kicks off its second season of competition featuring some of the sport’s top horses and drivers.
The action on the track is slated to begin at 1 p.m. this Sunday, Oct. 13, with races continuing the following Monday and Tuesday. Races will take place Sunday-through-Tuesday through the first week in November (Nov. 3-5).
Ted Nicholson is the Vice President of racing for Kentucky Downs and is in charge of overseeing race operations at Cumberland Run. He said that the track’s inaugural season was a huge success last year, and that he is looking forward to what this upcoming season will bring.
“We were thrilled with how last year went,” Nicholson said. “It is very, very rare that you open up a racetrack like this and you don’t have any major issues, but the staff here has been great and the horsemen coming here from all over the country have loved it. I walked away from here after those 12 days of racing were over last year and was like, ‘Wow, that was amazing.’”
For those who were unable to make it to a race during the inaugural season, Nicholson explained that, with harness racing, things look and feel quite different when compared to what spectators might see at a thoroughbred race.
“These are standardbreds that run here,” Nicholson said. “The difference is in the gait, or how they run. Plus, here they run with a cart and a driver. It kind of looks like a chariot.”
Nicholson also explained that the spacing is different during the races, saying, “When you’re on a horse as a jockey, you can steer that horse through holes that are the same width as the horse, but when you’re behind a horse in a cart, it’s the width of the cart that you need the size of the hole to be.”
Nicholson said this type of racing is very strategic, and he likened it to distance running that you might see in track and field events. “The one that goes out front [right away] doesn’t always win,” he pointed out.
Admission to the races at Cumberland Run is free, but of course, many race fans will come to place bets on the horses that they think will outperform the rest of the pack. For those individuals, Nicholson said that tellers will be on hand to assist with placing bets. For those who are already well-versed in the betting process, self-service terminals will also be available.
Two-day carnival will kick off opening week festivities
Part of last year’s grand opening for the racetrack at the Mint – Cumberland Run was a free carnival featuring rides, games and special food and drink offerings. This year, Nicholson said that the carnival will be back and expanded to include two days of fun on both Saturday and Sunday.
“I think it’ll be even more fun than it was last year,” Nicholson said of the carnival, which will begin at 11 a.m. both days. “It’s free entertainment, so you can’t beat the price. Bring your family.”
“The goal is to get as many local people out as possible, and to open their minds to what they have right here in their hometown,” Nicholson added. “We want to enable the entire region to go and watch races. Whether they bet on them or not, it’s just a lot of fun.”
The Mint – Cumberland Run is located at 777 Winners Lane on the Knox County side of the Corbin Bypass. For more information, call them at (606) 620-0250 or visit them online at www.themintcumberlandrun.com.
