Simulcast Wagering Shifts to Trackside Louisville; 60 New Flat Screen TVs Installed

Mar 30, 2010 Darren Rogers

Churchill Downs will shift simulcast wagering operations to its Trackside Louisville facility at 4520 Poplar Level Road starting Wednesday for the month-long lead-up to Kentucky Derby 136. The necessary annual move is done to minimize inconvenience for customers as track officials prepare the landmark Louisville racetrack for hosting the typical Derby Day crowd of about 150,000.

Churchill Downs recently installed 60 new 47-inch flat screen televisions at Trackside Louisville. Other improvements, including a new roof above the popular hangout “Warner’s Corner,” were made as well.

Simulcast wagering will be offered five days a week (dark Mondays and Tuesdays) for an admission fee of $3 ($1 for Twin Spires Club members and seniors age 60 and up). Admission gates at Trackside Louisville will open at 11:30 a.m. (Note: Churchill Downs’ Gold Room 6 will remain open throughout the month of April for eligible Twin Spires Club Members.)

Simulcast wagering will return to Churchill Downs on Saturday, April 24 for the start of the 42-day Spring Meet. It will remain on-track through Thursday, April 29, before shifting back to Trackside Louisville for Kentucky Derby weekend (Friday, April 30 through Sunday, May 2). Trackside Louisville admission gates will open at 9 a.m. for the Kentucky Oaks and Kentucky Derby, and admission for those days will be $10. Gates will open at noon on Sunday, May 2 and admission will be free.

Simulcast wagering will return to Churchill Downs on Thursday, May 6, following dark days at the racetrack May 2-5.

The temporary relocation of Churchill Downs’ simulcast wagering operation comes just prior to opening day at Keeneland Race Course in Lexington, Ky., on Friday, April 2.

    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 host the 136th running of the Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands on Saturday, May 1 and the Kentucky Oaks on Friday, April 30. The track will conduct its 2010 Spring Meet from Saturday, April 24 through Sunday, July 4. Churchill Downs is scheduled to host the Breeders’ Cup World Championships for a record seventh time on Nov. 5 and 6, 2010. Churchill Downs tickets are available at http://tickets.churchilldowns.com or by calling (502) 636-4400. Additional information about Churchill Downs can be found on the Internet at www.churchilldowns.com.
    
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