Churchill Downs Celebrates Construction Milestone of Paddock Area Redesign
$200 Million Investment will Debut for the 150th Running of the Kentucky Derby in 2024
LOUISVILLE, KY., (September 18, 2023) –Churchill Downs Racetrack (“Churchill Downs”) celebrated the “Topping Off” of the Paddock Area Redesign, a $200 million capital investment project that will transform the existing Paddock area in a manner that will enhance the experience for nearly every guest who enters the gates of the historic racetrack. The project is set to premiere in time for the 150th running of the Kentucky Derby in 2024. Churchill Downs executives and team members were joined by the Calhoun Construction team, elected officials and community members to mark the construction milestone by signing the final beam before it was placed atop the structure.
Ceremony speakers included Kentucky Secretary of Transportation Jim Gray; State Representative and Majority Caucus chair Julie Raque-Adams; Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg; President of Calhoun Construction John Hinshaw; CEO of Churchill Downs Incorporated Bill Carstanjen; and President of Churchill Downs Racetrack Mike Anderson.
“This is just one milestone as a great corporate citizen like Churchill, continues to invest in our city. said Mayor Greenberg. “Churchill Downs is literally as we see behind us building the future., so it and our city can continue to thrive in the future.”
“Ultimately, the idea behind this project was really all of you. We wanted a project that would be for everybody.” said Carstanjen. “One of the objectives for the team was we wanted every single person who comes to the Kentucky Derby to feel like this project was for them and that it added to their experience as they entered our facility.”
The Paddock Area Redesign will enhance visibility of the iconic Twin Spires, streamline guest circulation paths, update the audio-visual experience and create additional value for guests by updating existing ticket products and amenities. More than 3,600 permanent all-inclusive seats and an additional 7,000 sq. ft. of guest space will be introduced, including premium club and premium reserved seating, along with standing room only tickets. The project will also update select existing ticket inventory and improve Paddock views for front-side guests with the addition of elevated viewing platforms.
About Churchill Downs Incorporated
Churchill Downs Incorporated (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. www.churchilldownsincorporated.com
About Churchill Downs Racetrack
Churchill Downs Racetrack (“CDRT”), the world’s most legendary racetrack, has been the home of The Kentucky Derby, the longest continually-held annual sporting event in the United States, since 1875. Located in Louisville, CDRT features a series of themed race days during Derby Week, including the Kentucky Oaks, and conducts Thoroughbred horse racing during three race meets in Spring, September and Fall. CDRT is located on 175 acres and has a one-mile dirt track, a 7/8-mile turf track, a stabling area and provides seating for approximately 60,000 guests. The saddling paddock and the stable area has barns sufficient to accommodate 1,400 horses and a 114-room dormitory for backstretch personnel. CDRT also has a year-round Race and Sports Book and simulcast wagering facility. www.ChurchillDowns.com
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, that could cause actual results to differ materially from expectations 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 general 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 and 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 including customers’ personal information could lead to government enforcement actions or other litigations; reliance on our technology services and catastrophic events and system failures disrupting our operations; inability to identify, complete, or fully realize the benefits of our proposed 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 in 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.
Press Contacts
Logan Spradlin
Communications Manager
Churchill Downs Incorporated
Phone: (502) 638-3864
Email: [email protected]