FRANKFORT — Churchill Downs has sharply stepped up political contributions in recent months — sending thousands of dollars by Federal Express to more than two dozen state legislators late last week.

        The track revealed Wednesday that it contributed $15,500 to 25 lawmakerssince Jan. 1. Churchill has been a force behind the effort to place slot machines at Kentucky race tracks.

        Two of the recipients, and key Northern Kentucky lawmakers — House Majority Caucus Chairman Jim Callahan, D-Wilder, and Sen. Katie Stine, R-Fort Thomas — returned the money.

        “I have a policy of not accepting campaign donations during the session,” Mrs. Stine said Wednesday. “I received the contribution in a Fed Ex envelope on Mondayand thought, with the session starting Tuesday, that was just too close.”

        However, a lawmaker with Northern Kentucky ties is keeping the money.

        “I don't see where it makes much of a difference. We're going to vote on the issues as we see them,” said Sen. Ernie Harris, R-Crestwood, who accepted $1,000 from the track's political action committee and about $2,000 from individuals in the horse business recently.

        Mr. Harris lives outside Louisville in Oldham County but represents Grant and Gallatin counties in the legislature.

        A fourth Northern Kentucky lawmaker, Rep. Jon Draud, R-Crestview Hills, also received a $500 contribution from Churchill. Mr. Draud could not be reached Wednesday and it was not known whether he kept the money.

        Turfway Park in Florence is also advocating expanding gambling to racetracks but neither it nor its executives have contributed money to lawmakers, said track president Bob Elliston.

        “We are working to win approval of expanded gaming,” Mr. Elliston said Wednesday. “While that includes lobbying lawmakers, it has not included any campaign contributions to them.”

        Churchill Downs has spent nearly $40,000 for political contributions since Sept. 14. Donations made this calendar year do not have to be made public until April, as the General Assembly session is ending.

        Churchill released the amount donated this year late Wednesday afternoon after requests were made by newspapers, including the Enquirer.

        Most of the lawmakers receiving contributions are from the Louisville area.

        John Asher, vice president of racing communications for the track, said all contributions were legal. He said the track “contributes to candidates all the time as part of the democratic political process.”

        Mr. Asher said many contributors to the company's political action committee, which makes donations to legislators, gave the maximum amount last year and had to wait until after Dec. 31 to give more.

        “We had to expedite the process in order to deliver those contributions before the official start of the session,” he said.

        Many legislators will not accept campaign contributions while the legislature meets — so last weekend was Churchill's last chance.

        At least nine legislators said Tuesday they had received contributions from Churchill or its president late last week, and some questioned the timing of the gifts.

        “I thought it was rather inappropriate,” said Rep. Jim Wayne, D-Louisville, who said he would return a check for $500. “They know I won't take contributions after the session starts. They were trying to get it in under the wire, to use their terminology.”

        Mr. Callahan received $1,000 from the track in early December and returned the donation. While he said he didn't want to criticize Churchill, “I told them I came down here with credibility and integrity and I'm not giving anyone the opportunity to change that,” he said. “There's nothing wrong with them giving legal-amount contributions. It's the appearance.”

        Records at the state's Registry of Election Finance show that Churchill's political action committee has only recently increased the amount it spends on legislative races in Kentucky.

        In 1999, the track donated about $6,000 to candidates, and in 2000 it donated $19,700. But during the last four months of 2001, Churchill donated $33,000 to political races in the state and to the Democratic and Republican parties.

        The racing industry says it needs slots to compete with riverboat casinos and with racetracks in other states that have casino-style gambling.

        Last Friday, Keeneland, the Lexington track and horse sales company, said it would lobby in the General Assembly session for virtually unlimited track-based slots and wouldn't oppose even full-fledged casinos, as long as they were run by the tracks.

        Legislators who received gifts said the contributions would not sway their votes on issues involving the track, and some defended Churchill, saying the track has traditionally donated to their campaigns.

        Rep. Kevin Bratcher, R-Louisville, said he plans to keep the $500 he received, because he has had trouble raising money in the past. He said Churchill has not given him significant donations in the past and said he was surprised by the check when he opened the Federal Express envelope Saturday.

        Mr. Bratcher said he wondered whether the donation was an attempt to buy his vote. “Of course that's something I thought of, that's for sure,” he said. “But that's not going to sway my vote.”

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