Our Company
Our Company Mission:
To provide the highest-quality horse racing and entertainment experience by delivering first-class customer service.
About Churchill Downs Incorporated
The beginnings of Churchill Downs Incorporated (“Churchill Downs”) are rooted in the history of the Kentucky Derby, North America’s premier race for Thoroughbreds, and the grand tradition of Thoroughbred racing.
After visiting European racecourses in 1873, Col. M. Lewis Clark envisioned a world-class racetrack in Kentucky. He leased 80 acres of land from his uncles, John and Henry Churchill, and sold membership subscriptions to fund the construction of Churchill Downs. He opened the Louisville track in 1875 for its inaugural meet and the first running of the Kentucky Derby.
The popularity of the Kentucky Derby blossomed during the 20th century under the direction of Matt Winn, who purchased the struggling track with a group of local investors in 1902. Winn’s leadership sparked decades of growth for both the Kentucky Derby and Churchill Downs, which was organized as a Kentucky corporation in 1928 and officially became known as Churchill Downs Incorporated in 1942.
Following Winn’s death in 1949, the track continued to host the Kentucky Derby every spring – but to smaller and smaller crowds. Over the next few decades, the quality of the racing and the condition of the property at Churchill Downs slowly declined. It wasn’t until the mid-1980s that a renaissance began under the leadership of then President and CEO Thomas H. Meeker, who led Churchill Downs through a period of expansion and capital improvements that culminated in April 2005 with the completion of the track’s $121 million renovation of its grandstand and clubhouse areas.
Also under Meeker’s leadership in the late 20th and early 21st centuries, Churchill Downs expanded beyond its flagship operation in Louisville and to own and operate racetracks and simulcast-wagering operations in Kentucky, Illinois, Florida and Louisiana, while also holding interests in various racing service companies. With its acquisition of Fair Grounds Race Course and its other Louisiana operations in October 2004, Churchill Downs added alternative gaming to its entertainment options.
Robert L. Evans joined Churchill Downs as its current president and CEO in August 2006. A business strategist, entrepreneur and Thoroughbred breeder by trade, Evans is exploring growth opportunities for the Company and the horse racing industry through technology initiatives and international distribution channels. In early 2007, Evans announced the launch of TwinSpires.com (www.twinspires.com), the Company's first owned and operated advance deposit wagering ("ADW")platform, in addition to investments in HorseRacing TV (HRTV), a national television network featuring live horse racing from popular tracks around the country, and TrackNet Media Group LLC, a digital media rights management company created to buy and sell horse racing content. In June 2007, the Company acquired three additional ADW platforms (Winticket.com, BrisBET.com and TsnBET.com) and later in the year consolidated all four businesses under the TwinSpires.com brand. As part of the June 2007 acquisition, Churchill Downs also acquired the industry-leading data and pedigree information provider, Bloodstock Research Information Services ("BRIS") and continues to operate the data business under the BRIS brand.
Churchill Downs is a publicly traded company and is listed on the NASDAQ National Market under the symbol CHDN.
