Churchill Downs Presents More than $100,000 in Charitable Donations to Horses & Hope, Dare to Care

Jun 30, 2013 John Asher

Representatives of the breast cancer outreach organization Horses & Hope and Louisville’s Dare to Care food bank accepted charitable donations totaling more than $100,000 from Churchill Downs Racetrack (“CDRT”) on Sunday, June 30 as the historic track wrapped-up its 38-day Spring Meet.

The funds presented to organizations were generated during Kentucky Derby and Kentucky Oaks Week activities.  The donation checks to Horses & Hope and Dare to Care were presented in the track’s winner’s circle following Sunday’s fourth race.

A check for $30,000 was presented to Horses & Hope, an initiative led by Kentucky First Lady Jane Beshear and a women’s health care partner with Churchill Downs in the celebration of Kentucky Oaks Day for the past five years.  The Churchill Downs contribution, which was accepted by Connie Sorrell of the Kentucky Cancer Program and a member of the First Lady’s “Pink Team,” represents $1 from each on-track sale on Kentucky Oaks Day of the “Oaks Lily,” the signature drink of the Oaks.

With the 2013 donation, Churchill Downs has donated $150,000 to Horses & Hope during its five-year Kentucky Oaks partnership.

Dare to Care was the recipient of a the majority of an overall donation of $72,460 from the fourth annual “Taste of Derby Presented by Stella Artois” celebration in the North Wing Lobby of Kentucky Fair and Exposition Center on Thursday, May 2.  The celebration of racing cuisine, celebrity and style attracted more than 1,500 patrons.

CEO Brian Riendeau accepted a check for $41,260 from Dana Johnson, Churchill Downs Incorporated’s (“CDI”) Senior Director of Corporate Responsibility. That is Dare to Care’s share of the overall “Taste of Derby” donation. The remaining $31,200 in charitable funds generated by the event was divided among its nearly 20 participating chefs, and those funds will be donated to hunger relief programs in their respective cities.            

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 140th running of the Kentucky Derby on May 3, 2014 and its 2013 Spring Meet is scheduled continues through Sunday, 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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