Churchill Downs Celebrates 150th Kentucky Derby at Royal Ascot

LOUISVILLE, Ky., June 22, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Churchill Downs Incorporated (Nasdaq: CHDN) announced that Churchill Downs Racetrack (“Churchill Downs”) is celebrating its upcoming 150^th Kentucky Derby by highlighting the rich history of the iconic race at the five-day Royal Ascot race meet that concludes Saturday. For the first time at Ascot Racecourse, racing enthusiasts have been able to experience the legendary traditions of the Kentucky Derby through an experiential activation in the Queen Anne Enclosure. Guests have been able to enjoy signature Mint Juleps, witness the Kentucky Derby trophy on display and photograph themselves among a rose-filled backdrop.

“We are thrilled to highlight the Kentucky Derby internationally at Royal Ascot,” said Casey Ramage, Vice President of Marketing and Partnerships at Churchill Downs Racetrack. “Our storied history was inspired by English horse racing, so to begin celebrating our 150^th anniversary at Ascot Racecourse is a meaningful honor.”

The Kentucky Derby’s history began in 1872 when Meriwether Lewis Clark, grandson of William Clark of the famed pair Lewis and Clark, attended the Epsom Derby in England. Inspired by his experiences, Clark returned determined to create a similar horse racing event in the United States. On May 17, 1875, the Louisville Jockey Club – now known as Churchill Downs – hosted the first Kentucky Derby with 15 horses, including winner Aristides, and more than 10,000 spectators.

Today, the Kentucky Derby is the longest continually-run annual sporting event in the United States enduring pivotal moments in history from World Wars I and II, the Great Depression and global pandemics.

The 150^th Kentucky Derby will take place on Saturday, May 4, 2024.

^{In celebration of the upcoming 150th running of the Kentucky Derby, guests at this year’s Royal Ascot were able to experience the great traditions of The Run for the Roses. Photo credit: Will Bailey / Ascot Racecourse}

About Churchill Downs Incorporated

Churchill Downs Incorporated (“CDI”, NASDAQ: CHDN) has been creating extraordinary entertainment experiences for nearly 150 years, beginning with the company’s most iconic and enduring asset, the Kentucky Derby. Headquartered in Louisville, Kentucky, CDI has expanded through the development of live and historical racing entertainment venues, the growth of the TwinSpires horse racing online wagering business and the operation and development of regional casino gaming properties. . 

About the Kentucky Derby

The $3 million Kentucky Derby takes place on the first Saturday in May at historic Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky. Inaugurated in 1875, the legendary 1 ¼-mile race for 3-year-olds is the longest continually-held major sporting event in the United States and the first leg of horse racing’s Triple Crown series. Also known as “The Run for the Roses®” and “The Most Exciting Two Minutes in Sports®,” the Kentucky Derby is the most attended horse race in the nation. The 150^th Kentucky Derby will take place on May 4, 2024. For more information, please visit .

This news release contains various “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the “safe harbor” provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements are typically identified by the use of terms such as “anticipate,” “believe,” “could,” “estimate,” “expect,” “intend,” “may,” “might,” “plan,” “predict,” “project,” “seek,” “should,” “will,” and similar words or similar expressions (or negative versions of such words or expressions).

Although we believe that the expectations reflected in such forward-looking statements are reasonable, we can give no assurance that such expectations will prove to be correct. Important factors, among others, that may materially affect actual results or outcomes include the following: the occurrence of extraordinary events, such as terrorist attacks, public health threats, civil unrest, and inclement weather, including as a result of climate change; the effect of economic conditions on our consumers' confidence and discretionary spending or our access to credit, including the impact of inflation; additional or increased taxes and fees; the impact of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, including the emergence of variant strains, and related economic matters on our results of operations, financial conditions and prospects; lack of confidence in the integrity of our core businesses or any deterioration in our reputation; loss of key or highly skilled personnel, as well as disruptions in the general labor market; the impact of significant competition, and the expectation the competition levels will increase; changes in consumer preferences, attendance, wagering, and sponsorships; risks associated with equity investments, strategic alliances and other third-party agreements; inability to respond to rapid technological changes in a timely manner; concentration and evolution of slot machine and historical racing machine (HRM) manufacturing or other technology conditions that could impose additional costs; failure to enter into or maintain agreements with industry constituents, including horsemen and other racetracks; inability to successfully focus on market access and retail operations for our TwinSpires Sports and Casino business and effectively compete; online security risk, including cyber-security breaches, or loss or misuse of our stored information as a result of a breach; reliance on our technology services and catastrophic events and system failures disrupting our operations; inability to identify and / or complete, or fully realize the benefits of acquisitions, divestitures, development of new venues or the expansion of existing facilities on time, on budget, or as planned; difficulty in integrating recent or future acquisitions into our operations; cost overruns and other uncertainties associated with the development of new venues and the expansion of existing facilities; general risks related to real estate ownership and significant expenditures, including risks related to environmental liabilities; personal injury litigation related to injuries occurring at our racetracks; compliance with the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act or other similar laws and regulations, or applicable anti-money laundering regulations; payment-related risks, such as risk associated with fraudulent credit card or debit card use; work stoppages and labor problems; risks related to pending or future legal proceedings and other actions; highly regulated operations and changes in the regulatory environment could adversely affect our business; restrictions in our debt facilities limiting our flexibility to operate our business; failure to comply with the financial ratios and other covenants in our debt facilities and other indebtedness; increases to interest rates (due to inflation or otherwise), disruption in the credit markets or changes to our credit ratings may adversely affect our business; increase in our insurance costs, or inability to obtain similar insurance coverage in the future, and any inability to recover under our insurance policies for damages sustained at our properties in the event of inclement weather and casualty events; and other factors described under the heading “Risk Factors” in our most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and other filings we make with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

We do not undertake any obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law.

Photos accompanying this announcement are available at: