Churchill Downs

Raffles of six all-inclusive box seats to both the GI Kentucky Oaks and GI Kentucky Derby will be held by the Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation (TRF), with all proceeds benefitting the TRF's mission of providing lifetime aftercare to nearly 400 retired racehorses. Churchill Downs Incorporated (CDI) has donated the boxes, which hold an estimated value of $3,000 for the Oaks and $7,000 for the Derby. The special on-line raffle boxes are located in Section 324, which is on the third floor overlooking the eighth pole. All reserved seating includes food, as...

Churchill Downs and its partners Andy Frain Services, Kentucky Derby Museum, Levy and Pritchard Sports & Entertainment Group will host a job fair to recruit for Kentucky Derby Week and the Churchill Downs Spring Meet. The event is scheduled for Saturday, Mar. 22 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the First Turn Club. The job fair will include on-the-spot interviews and hiring for positions during Kentucky Derby Week, which runs from Saturday, Apr. 26, through Saturday, May 3, and the Churchill Downs Spring Meet, which continues through Sunday, June...

Florence, KY--"Okay, I'm coming!" said Kaitlin Free. Bursting into a small room sandwiched between the announcer's booth and Free's broadcast studio at Turfway Park in Florence, Kentucky, the Churchill Downs Inc. (CDI) analyst was only halfway through applying her mascara and eyeliner, but that wasn't going to stop her from watching Flood Zone (Frosted) take the GII Gotham Stakes. With half her face on and the other 'au naturel,' Free's eyes were glued to the screen as she watched intently, offered an assessment as the field blazed for the far...

The winner of this year's £100,000 Cardinal Stakes will receive an automatic berth in the starting gate for the $1 million GI American Turf Stakes at Churchill Downs on the Kentucky Derby undercard, Chelmsford City Racecourse announced on Monday. Scheduled for Thursday, April 3, the Cardinal Stakes is a conditions race run over a mile and open to three-year-olds who will compete for the £51,540 on offer to the successful owner. The race also offers prize-money up to sixth place, a refund on entry fees if declared and financial support for international runners. The American Turf was recently elevated to Grade...

In 1976, 23-year-old Trevor Denman took a vacation from his race calling gigs at three tracks in Natal, South Africa, to venture to the United States to see what racing in a different part of the world was like. Because it was January, he left in the middle of a long, hot summer at home, packing only lightweight clothing and traveling in a dapper Palm Beach suit. His wardrobe choices left him ill-prepared for the first several stops on his cross-country tour of America, which happened to be the winter...

Churchill Downs has scheduled 50 stakes races cumulatively worth a record $26,175,000--a $525,000 increase--for its 2025 Spring Meet, which covers 43 race dates between April 26-June 29, the track said in a Friday press release. The American Turf for 3-year-olds, annually staged on the Kentucky Derby undercard, had its purse raised to $1 million after the American Graded Stakes Committee elevated the 1 1/16-mile grass race to Grade I status. The American Turf is one of four Spring Meet stakes that received purse hikes for 2025 and one of seven...

The Jockeys' Guild on Friday issued a statement defending jockey Luan Machado one day after news broke that the 10-year veteran rider was being sued in a Kentucky court by the owner and breeder of a horse he rode at Churchill Downs in November who lost by a neck but likely would have won if Machado hadn't prematurely geared him down with a 2 1/2-length lead inside the eighth pole. The Guild's press release Feb. 28 stated that the allegations asserted against Machado "are utterly baseless." The Guild's statement continued:...

It was announced on Wednesday that Ascot Racecourse, the Jockey Club and Churchill Downs have agreed an extension of the 'wild card' entry initiative launched last year that ties together Royal Ascot, the Betfred Derby Festival at Epsom and the Kentucky Derby meeting at Churchill Downs. Last year a runner from each of the GII Edgewood Stakes for three-year-old fillies and the GII American Turf Stakes for three-year-old colts received an entry for the Betfred Oaks and Betfred Derby, respectively. That will again be the case this year, while an...

All-American National Champion gymnast Olivia "Livvy" Dunne along with Major League Baseball star Jayson Werth will host meet-and-greets in Sports Illustrated's Club SI at historic Churchill Downs during the 151st runnings of the GI Longines Kentucky Oaks and GI Kentucky Derby presented by Woodford Reserve Friday, May 2 and Saturday, May 3, respectively. Club SI, a multi-year exclusive partnership between Churchill Downs Racetrack and Sports Illustrated, debuted at last year's Kentucky Derby and offers guests a modern, sophisticated race day experience as part of the racetrack's recent $200 million reimagined...

Kentucky Derby and Oaks-winning jockey Brian Hernandez Jr. will be the Keynote Speaker at Race for Grace--hosted by the Kentucky Race Track Chaplaincy--to be held on Apr. 28 at Churchill Downs. Held in a new space at Churchill's First Turn Club, the event will feature a silent and live auction including items such as 2026 Kentucky Derby and Oaks boxes and the Derby contender's halters, a Keeneland package, many golf packages, horse racing art and memorabilia as well as trips to Mexico, a Montana Cabin vacation. In 2024, Hernandez became...

Keeneland's 101st running of the $1.25 million GI Toyota Blue Grass on Saturday, Apr. 5 has attracted 133 nominees, including champion Citizen Bull (Into Mischief), according to a release on Thursday from the track. With a $250,000 purse increase this year, the Blue Grass joins the GI Coolmore Turf Mile as Keeneland's two $1.25 million races, which are the richest in track history. The Turf Mile reached that level during the 2024 Fall Meet. "Keeneland is proud of the enhanced stature of the Toyota Blue Grass, and we thank the...

A multi-year series of capital projects designed to expand the Kentucky Derby experience across three areas of Churchill Downs was announced by Churchill Downs Incorporated Wednesday. The largest expansion and renovation undertaken in the 150-year history of CDI is highlighted by The Skye Reconstruction and Expansion Project ("The Skye Project"), Conservatory Project, and Infield General Admission Project "These projects as well as key infrastructure improvements, reflect the Company's commitment to providing world-class hospitality and premium seating options for guests for many decades to come," said Bill Carstanjen, Chief Executive Officer...