Churchill Downs' Twin Spires 'Wrapped in Red' Glow to Honor Red Cross Gala

Mar 12, 2013 John Asher

The iconic Twin Spires of   Churchill Downs Racetrack (“CDRT”) are being cast in a red glow each evening through Saturday to honor the Louisville Chapter of the American Red Cross and its third annual “Wrapped in Red Gala.”

The American Red Cross fundraising gala is scheduled for Saturday, March 16 and will be held at the Seelbach Hilton Hotel at 500 South Fourth Street. All proceeds from the “Wrapped in Red Gala” benefit the American Red Cross’ community disaster programs.

Information on the event is available by calling the Louisville chapter at (502) 589-4450 or online at www.redcross.org/ky/louisville.

The Twin Spires are being bathed in red light in tribute to the Red Cross event and the vital work of the agency it benefits.

Churchill Downs has a limited number of opportunities each year to light the Twin Spires in honor of a charitable organization or cause, or a special industry or community event. The structures took on a red glow in early February to salute the American Heart Association’s “National Wear Red Day” and will be bathed in pink to highlight women’s health issues and the “Think Pink” them of the 139th running of the Kentucky Oaks, America’s premier race for 3-year-old fillies, on Thursday and Friday, May 2 and 3.

The Twin Spires were completed in 1895, 20 years after the first running of the first Kentucky Derby, and are among the most recognizable symbols of excellence in the worlds of sports and entertainment.  Along with being the celebrated home track of the Kentucky Derby and Kentucky Oaks, Churchill Downs is also a National Historic Landmark and listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The Kentucky Derby, run for the first time on May 17, 1875, has been run annually and without interruption since and is America’s oldest continuously-held sports event.

Churchill Downs, the world’s most legendary racetrack, has conducted Thoroughbred racing and presented America’s greatest race, the Kentucky Derby, continuously since 1875. Located in Louisville, the flagship racetrack of Churchill Downs Incorporated (NASDAQ: CHDN) also operates Trackside at Churchill Downs, which offers year-round simulcast wagering at the historic track. Churchill Downs will conduct the 139th running of the Kentucky Derby on May 4, 2013 and its 2013 Spring Meet is scheduled for April 27-June 30. The track has hosted the Breeders’ Cup World Championships a record eight times. Information about Churchill Downs can be found on the Internet at www.ChurchillDowns.com.

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