Dirty Dozen Brass Band Headlines June 15th Downs After Dark

May 15, 2019 Sara Brown Meehan

2019 Spring Meet Features Two Themed Night Racing Parties: Woodstock and The Big Easy

LOUISVILLE, KY (Wednesday, May 15, 2019) Louisville’s favorite night racing party will take place twice this spring with Downs After Dark presented By Budweiser. One June 1, Downs After Dark will celebrate Woodstock’s 50^th anniversary with Peace, Love & Horseracing while the June 15 event will bring Bourbon Street to Louisville with The Big Easy. Each event will feature live music on the Plaza Stage, 11 thrilling races, specialty cocktails and more. Gates open at 5:00 p.m. – 11:30 p.m. First post at 6:00 p.m. Tickets start at $12 and are available at www.churchilldowns.com.

The Dirty Dozen Brass Band will be the crown jewel of this year’s Spring Meet entertainment when they headline Downs After Dark -- The Big Easy on June 15. The New Orleans-based Dirty Dozen Brass Band is a world famous music machine whose name is synonymous with genre-bending romps and high-octane performances. The band has taken the traditional foundation of brass band music and incorporated it into a blend of genres including Bebop Jazz, Funk, R&B and Soul to create a unique sound they describe as a, ‘musical gumbo.’

Guests are encouraged to wear New Orleans inspired purple, green or gold on June 15. During the evening the Kentucky Derby 145 trophy will be awarded to the winning connections and displayed for public photos. Entertainment will also include a high swinging, hard-blowing vintage jazz and pop performance by local four-beat band the West Market Stompers, a Second Line Parade and Bourbon Street themed cocktails and street performers. The evening’s racing highlights include six stakes races, including two Breeders Cup Challenge Series Win & You’re In™: the $600,000 Stephen Foster Handicap presented by GE Appliances (G1), the $250,000 Fleur de Lis Handicap presented by Budweiser (GII), the $250,000 Wise Dan (GII), the $150,000 Matt Winn (GIII), the $150,000 Regret presented by the UAE (GIII) and the President of the United Arab Emirates Cup.

Guests are encouraged to wear tie-dye to the June 1^st Downs After Dark – Woodstock: Peace Love and Horse Racing. Entertainment will feature Chicago-based jam band Mr. Blotto with original and classic 60’s tunes, local DJ Matt Anthony, a retro fashion contest and more. The evening’s racing highlights will include the $100,000 Aristides and $100,000 Mighty Beau Overnight Stakes.

About the Dirty Dozen Brass Band

Celebrating over 40 years since their founding in 1977, New Orleans-based Dirty Dozen Brass Band has taken the traditional foundation of brass band music and incorporated it into a blend of genres including Bebop Jazz, Funk and R&B/Soul. This unique sound, described by the band as a ‘musical gumbo,’ has allowed the Dirty Dozen to tour across five continents and more than 30 countries, record 12 studio albums and collaborate with a range of artists from Modest Mouse to Widespread Panic to Norah Jones. Forty-plus years later, the Dirty Dozen Brass Band is a world famous music machine whose name is synonymous with genre-bending romps and high-octane performances.Roger Lewis -- Baritone Sax/Vocals

Kevin Harris -- Tenor Sax/Vocals
Gregory Davis -- Trumpet/Vocals
Kirk Joseph -- Sousaphone
TJ Norris – Trombone/Vocals
Julian Addison -- Drums
Takeshi Shimmura -- Guitar

About Churchill Downs Racetrack

Churchill Downs, the world’s most legendary racetrack, has conducted Thoroughbred racing and presented the Kentucky Derby since 1875. Located in Louisville, the flagship racetrack of Churchill Downs Incorporated (NASDAQ: CHDN) offers year-round simulcast wagering at the historic track. Churchill Downs will conduct the 146^th running of the Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve on May 2, 2020. The track’s 2019 Spring Meet is scheduled for April 27-June 29. Churchill Downs has hosted the Breeders’ Cup World Championships nine times. www.ChurchillDowns.com.