In a special announcement Tuesday, Gov. Albert Bryan Jr. said the government has reached an agreement with Southland Gaming to rebuild and operate the long dormant Randall “Doc” James Race Track on St. Croix.
“This is a big deal. It is $25 million of private money and investment to rebuild the facility and restart racing on St. Croix,” he said. “That means resurfacing the track. It means rebuilding the grandstand. It means building the barns and the paddock facilities. It means putting the pieces into place to support a certified horse racing operation with the safety standards and professional standards that the sport requires.”
The agreement, which Bryan is sending to the 36th Legislature for consideration and approval, comes more than a year after the Virgin Islands Government wrested legal control of the race track from developer VIGL. Bryan said the agreement includes deadlines for track resurfacing and barn renovation within eight months and substantial project completion within the next three years.
“And if it can be done safely and responsibly, it calls for at least one race day before Dec. 30, 2026,” Bryan said, adding that Virgin Islanders have already seen “the proof in the pudding” through Southland’s operation of the Clinton E. Phipps Race Track on St. Thomas. “This is a real plan and a real way forward, and for the taxpayers out there — all of you in the Virgin Islands — this agreement does not require any additional public money. Not one cent.”
Horse racing returned to the territory in time for the 2024 St. Thomas Carnival, but several race days were marred by horse injuries and euthanizations. The Clinton E. Phipps Race Track temporarily closed last year amid a St. Thomas-St. John Horse Racing Commission investigation into track conditions after three horses had to be put down following a race in December 2024. Prior to the track’s reopening, lawmakers in the 35th Legislature suspended the territory’s anti-doping regulations, and a subsequent attempt to repeal the suspension failed.
Bryan said Tuesday that anti-doping provisions are “absolutely” included in the government’s agreement with Southland.
“As a matter of fact, we want to make sure that as soon as there’s an opportunity for there to have horse racing, that all of those things are immediately put back in place,” he said.
