The 2024 Arapahoe Park Summer Meet was canceled after track officials had difficulty getting the county's occupancy approval for barns and buildings on the backside.

© Coady Photography

AURORA, CO–APRIL 23, 2024–After the Colorado Horse Racing Commission had issued 'conditional approval' for the traditional summer meet at Arapahoe Park earlier this month, the conclusion of a special meeting on Monday (April 22) is the track will not conduct a Summer Meet in 2024.

The conditional approval required that the racetrack get a "Safe for Occupancy" approval from Arapahoe County on barns and buildings located on the backstretch.

During an inspection last year, Arapahoe County officials flagged several plumbing and electrical issues. Seasonal employees hired by the Division of Racing Events cannot be cleared to work there until the county issues a 'certificate of occupancy'.

The buildings were certified safe for occupancy at the time of their construction in 1984. Shannon Rushton, Arapahoe’s executive director of operations and racing, was told it was irrelevant because county officials claim the wiring is not up to the current code for agricultural buildings.

Some have expressed confusion over Arapahoe County's stance regarding the matter.  Currently, the county does not require residential buildings to be rewired each time building code changes are approved.

According to Rushton, the track will need to rewire all the barns. Pulling permits for that work can take up to 16 weeks from the time of application which has not happened yet. Rushton's earliest timeline for work crews to complete the project is mid-to-late August.

The racetrack, owned by Bally’s Corporation, has a deadline of September 11 to hold a live race or risk losing their simulcasting signal imports.

Rushton, who is scheduled to present alternate dates for the 2024 Meet to the commission next week, anticipates the track could run from September 7 through early November – if all the work and safety approvals progress efficiently.