HARRISBURG — The field of applicants for the state's last harness-racing license will be limited to two groups that were rejected once already, state harness racing regulators decided Thursday.

The racing license is particularly attractive because it virtually guarantees the winner a second license from state gambling regulators to operate up to 5,000 slot machines.

Anton J. Leppler, executive secretary of the State Harness Racing Commission, said the agency's attorneys interpreted that a two-week-old state Supreme Court decision limited the field to just the two rejected parties, instead of opening up the process to newcomers.

Rick Kelly, a spokesman for Centaur Inc., one of the previous applicants, called the decision good news and said he is confident the company can fix the errors that the commission identified in its original plan.

On July 3, Supreme Court justices upheld the racing commission's original rejection of Indianapolis-based Centaur and Lawrence County businessman Carmen Shick. But the court also allowed both to reapply.

"We're going to have an extremely compressed legal process to bring this matter to fruition," Leppler said.

Centaur wants to build Valley View Downs in Beaver County, while Shick and his family want to build Bedford Downs in Lawrence County.

The three-member commission denied both in November 2005. Appeals of that decision to Commonwealth Court resulted in a split ruling last year. The court said the racing commission was right to deny Centaur's application, but should reconsider Shick's.