OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) – The Cherokee Nation has bought Blue Ribbon Downs in Sallisaw, Okla., less than two weeks after the previous owner shuttered the horse racing track.
The Cherokee Nation announced its purchase in a Dec. 10 news release, but didn’t disclose the sale price or say whether the track would reopen. The Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma had owned the track since 2003.
“The Choctaws did an excellent job in trying to make the track profitable,” said David Stewart, CEO of Cherokee Nation Entertainment, which operates Hard Rock Hotel Tulsa and Cherokee Casinos. “As owners of a track in Oklahoma, we understand the economics of the industry.”
The approximately 100-acre tract of land, bordered on the south by Interstate 40 and to the north by Highway 64, is situated within the Cherokee Nation’s tribal jurisdiction.
“We had an opportunity to purchase property that is within our tribal jurisdiction so we always closely consider that and see it as a wise business decision to take advantage of that any time we can,” said Stewart.
The Cherokee Nation says it has no immediate plans for the property. The tribe also owns Will Rogers Downs in Claremore.
Blue Ribbon Downs began running in the early 1960s and in 1984 became the state’s first track to offer pari-mutuel racing. The track is located in a town of about 8,000 people in far eastern Oklahoma and has a history of financial struggles.