Churchill Downs, Komen 'Pink Out' Kentucky Oaks 135

Apr 20, 2009 Jennifer Stevens

Churchill Downs Racetrack, host of the Kentucky Derby® and the Kentucky Oaks®, wants you to help support the fight against breast cancer by purchasing tickets to Kentucky Oaks 135 at www.KentuckyOaks.com/Komen! The Kentucky Oaks is scheduled for Friday, May 1, 2009, one day before the famed “Run for the Roses.”

To help raise money and awareness for Susan G. Komen for the Cure®, Churchill Downs has planned an exciting day of events for race-goers. There will be a “First Lady of Fashion” contest, Survivors Parade and even the first-ever Kentucky Oaks winner’s circle formed by breast cancer survivors. Churchill Downs will also create special areas in the infield where Komen for the Cure supporters can gather and enjoy Oaks Day.  Komen survivors and supporters will also have a chance to meet Ambassador Nancy G. Brinker, founder of Susan G. Komen for the Cure®, who will be honored as the inaugural First Lady of Oaks.

Here’s how it works.  Churchill Downs will donate at least $100,000 to Komen from funds from Kentucky Oaks 135 general admission and reserve seating attendance.  If Komen survivors and supporters at Oaks 135 sets a new attendance record (current Oaks Day record is 111,243), Churchill Downs will donate $1 for every Oaks attendee, up to a maximum donation of $135,000.  Komen supporters will also have the chance to purchase tickets to two Infield Suites that will be specifically reserved for them.  Komen will receive $100 for every designated Infield Suite ticket sold.

With pink being the official color of the day, Churchill Downs is staging a total “Pink Out” at the track on Oaks Day. So pull out your cutest or most handsome pink outfit and show your support!

Even if you can’t make it to Louisville, you can get involved by visiting www.kentuckyderbyparty.com for a specially designed Passionately Pink for the Cure ® branded invitation and everything needed to throw an Oaks or Derby party as a fundraiser at home.

To build on the excitement of the day, Bravo will air a special featuring the food, fashion and celebrity experience associated with Kentucky Oaks Day! The program will include special on-track events related to the new partnership with Susan G. Komen for the Cure, and will air from 5-6 p.m. EDT on May 1.

And as if things couldn’t get any more exciting, “Top Chef: The Tour” will be part of Churchill’s new Infield Club hospitality area.  The Top Chef Tour stop at the Kentucky Oaks will feature some of the show’s “chef’testants” hosting four interactive shows in the Infield Club, with limited reserved seating available. Cooking demonstrations, gourmet tips, show secrets and food tastings will be highlighted from the Top Chef Tour unit, a state-of-the-art customized traveling kitchen with expansive space to accommodate cooks and fans alike.  Top Chef: The Tour will also include trivia contests, information kiosks, and an opportunity for Infield Club guests to interact with the “chef’testants.”

Churchill Downs will also help to raise money for Horses and Hope, a breast cancer initiative of Kentucky First Lady Jane Beshear and the Kentucky Cancer Program, on Oaks Day.

For more information on the Kentucky Oaks and the partnership with Susan G. Komen for the Cure, please visit http://ww5.komen.org/ContentSimpleLeft.aspx?id=16122&terms=Oaks and follow @komenforthecure and @derbyoaks on Twitter.
 
About Churchill Downs
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 Global Select Market: CHDN) also operates Trackside at Churchill Downs, which offers year-round simulcast wagering at the historic track. Churchill Downs will conduct the 135th running of the Kentucky Derby on May 2, 2009.  The track’s 2009 Spring Meet will take place from April 25 through July 5.  Churchill Downs is scheduled to host the Breeders’ Cup World Championships for a record seventh time on Nov. 5 and 6, 2010.  Information about Churchill Downs can be found on the Internet at www.churchilldowns.com.
 
About Susan G. Komen for the Cure®
Nancy G. Brinker promised her dying sister, Susan G. Komen, she would do everything in her power to end breast cancer forever. In 1982, that promise became Susan G. Komen for the Cure and launched the global breast cancer movement. Today, Komen for the Cure is the world’s largest grassroots network of breast cancer survivors and activists fighting to save lives, empower people, ensure quality care for all and energize science to find the cures. Thanks to events like the Komen Race for the Cure®, we have invested more than $1.3 billion to fulfill our promise, becoming the largest source of nonprofit funds dedicated to the fight against breast cancer in the world. For more information about Susan G. Komen for the Cure, breast health or breast cancer, visit www.komen.org or call 1-877 GO KOMEN.
 
About Bravo
Bravo is a program service of NBC Universal Cable Entertainment, a division of NBC Universal, one of the world’s leading media and entertainment companies in the development, production, and marketing of entertainment, news and information to a global audience. Bravo has been an NBC cable network since December 2002 and was the first television service dedicated to film and the performing arts when it launched in December 1980.  Information about Bravo can be found on the Internet at www.bravotv.com.