By Joanna Dodder Nellans
The Daily Courier
The resurrection of the Yavapai Downs horse racetrack took one step closer to reality Thursday when a bankruptcy trustee filed a motion for a $5.5 million sale to Gary Miller, the president of the state horsemen’s group.
“If we get bankruptcy court approval, we’re very confident we can open on Memorial Day Weekend,” said Miller, president of the Arizona Horseman’s Benevolent & Protective Association.
He said he also would lke to bring the county fair back to the site, and he would consider reviving other events including car races as well as horse shows at the county-owned events center next door that has been leased to the racetrack owners in the past.
“I think this is going to be a community place, in addition to the racetrack,” Miller said.
The Prescott Valley track never opened for the 2011 summer racing season on Memorial Day Weekend, and it’s been closed ever since. Its former owner, the Yavapai County Farm & Agriculture Association, filed for bankruptcy in July 2011.
