“The horse racing season at Yavapai Downs in Prescott is one of the real economic engines of my district. It brings hundreds of jobs to an area hard-hit by the recession. There was real excitement last week when a bid of $3.25 million for the track won at auction. Gary Miller’s bid meant the track would be open for business this summer. We saw what happened last year when the track was shut down, and now we had reason for optimism.

That optimism didn’t last long, and we have the Obama administration to thank for it. Late Friday the United States Department of Agriculture inexplicably rejected this winning bid, all but shutting down any hope of a racing season this year.

That is disappointing, and I hope the USDA will reconsider its actions.”