Spring Meet Racing Returns to Churchill Downs With Twilight Thursdays, Mother's Day, Return of 20-Cent Single 6 Jackpot

May 10, 2017 John Asher

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (Wednesday, May 10, 2017) – After a spectacular opening week highlighted by the 143^rd runnings of the Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands and Longines Kentucky Oaks, the Churchill Downs Spring Meet resumes with a week highlighted by the first of its popular Twilight Thursday programs and Sunday’s celebration of Mother’s Day at the historic track.

Twilight Thursday on Thursday, May 11 has all of the elements that has made the celebration a fan favorite during the past two years: live racing, live music, food from many of Louisville’s most popular food trucks and special drink prices. Admission gates open at 4 p.m. (all times EDT) and the first of the Twilight Thursday’s eight races has a post time of 5 p.m.

Thursday’s racing program also marks the return of the track’s 20-cent minimum Single 6 Jackpot. The wager challenges patrons to pick the winners of six consecutive races with the potential of a big payout only if there is a single winning ticket. Bettors with the highest number of winners in each Single 6 Jackpot sequence will share 80 percent of the money wagered in each day’s pool, while the remaining 20 percent will be carried over to the next day’s wagering until there is one single winning ticket.

General admission for Twilight Thursday racing and entertainment is $3, but is free on the May 11 program to patrons who present a winning Kentucky Derby Day mutuel ticket.

Highlights of the first of the Spring Meet’s Twilight Thursdays on The Plaza include $1 beers from 5-8 p.m. and a roster of food trucks that include 502 Café, Holy Molé, Mark’s Feed Store, Red Top Gourmet Hot Dogs, Pollo, and Zoom Zoom Yum.

The Billy Goat Strut Revue will provide live music on the Churchill Downs Plaza Stage for the 2017 Twilight Thursday opener. The live music presented during each 2017 Twilight Thursday session is curated by Kyle Meredith of Louisville Public Media’s 91.9 WFPK-FM.

Fans also can seek personal guidance and other information on handicapping and wagering by visiting the Wagering 101 booth on The Plaza throughout the evening.

Twilight Thursdays are scheduled each week through June 29, and a special Twilight Wednesday is set for June 28.

The first post-Kentucky Derby week of racing continues with live racing programs on Friday, Saturday and Sunday’s special Mother’s Day celebration. Limited dining reservations for Mother’s Day at Churchill Downs remain available for online purchase at www.ChurchillDowns.com/tickets or by calling (502) 636-4450.

The first race Friday-Sunday is 12:45 p.m.