SWEETWATER COUNTY – While the thoughts of summer are in everyone’s heads, planning for those fun summer events is underway. Horse racing will be returning to the Sweetwater Events Complex in August.
At the Sweetwater County Fair Board meeting Tuesday night, Complex Director Larry Lloyd reported they are getting ready for another year of racing. Racing will run from Aug. 19 to Sept. 4. Live horse racing returned to the area in 2012 after the event left for several years.
Since its return, both Rock Springs and Sweetwater County have seen financial payments. Green River does not get a financial kickback because they do not participate in the off-track betting. In 2015, approximately $400,000 was returned to Sweetwater County and the city of Rock Springs.
While the complex is preparing for the events, Lloyd would also like to see Sweetwater County have more of a voice in the decision-making process at a state level. Lloyd said he believes Evanston and Rock Springs will probably be the only places left in the state that will have live horse racing in the future.
The Wyoming Horse Racing Commission is a seven-person board which is broken into regions. Lloyd said he is has been made aware there might be an opening on the commission in this region and would like to see current board Chairman Kent McCann in this seat.
Lloyd said he would be turning in McCann’s name to Wyoming Governor Matt Mead, who makes the appointments. He urged the board and the Sweetwater County Commissioners to write letters of support for McCann.
