Churchill Downs Incorporated Names Leif Dickinson Director of Track Operations at Colonial Downs

Dickinson to Bring Expertise to Four CDI-owned Turf Courses

LOUISVILLE, KY., (January 09, 2024– Churchill Downs Incorporated (“CDI” or the “Company”) announced today that Leif Dickinson has been named Director of Track Operations at Colonial Downs Racetrack. In this role, Dickinson will be instrumental in the daily management of the course in New Kent, Virginia, while working closely with Track Superintendents on development and maintenance at other CDI-owned racetracks including the Company’s flagship Churchill Downs Racetrack in Louisville, Kentucky.

“I’m very excited to join the team at Colonial Downs and contributing to that tradition of exceptional track surfaces and the opportunity to develop agronomic programs for other CDI tracks excites me,” said Dickinson. “I consider horse racing to be the most challenging turf management job in the world, but it is one that I take very seriously. I look forward to continuing to promote a safe racing experience and ensuring CDI tracks are the best in the world.”

Dickinson brings over 30 years of experience in Agronomy and Turf Science Management with deep expertise in the care, maintenance and renovation of horse track fields and grounds and is well-regarded as a subject matter expert in Soil Science, Turfgrass Management, Horticulture, Grounds Development, Irrigation & Drainage, Pest Management, Pesticides, Edaphology, Turf Nutrition and Resource Management. He is a member of HISA’s Track Surface Advisory Committee. Prior to joining CDI, Dickinson served as a director or consultant for a number of high profile race courses across the country including Gulfstream Park, Del Mar Thoroughbred Club and Santa Anita Park. He holds an Associate of Science Degree in Horticulture from Mount San Antonio College and a Bachelor of Science Degree in Agriculture from the University of Maine.

“We are pleased to welcome world-renowned turf expert Leif Dickinson to the team,” said Bill Mudd, President and COO of CDI. “This year, Colonial Downs held 196 turf races during a 27-day meet and we will rely heavily on Leif’s experience to manage the course as we expand to over 40 days of racing in 2025. With his expertise in Bermuda grass, we look forward to his oversight at Fair Grounds Racecourse and Ellis Park as well as his close involvement with the team at Churchill Downs Racetrack as they prepare the course in the lead up to the 150th Kentucky Derby week and beyond.”

Dickinson will begin his new role on January 16.


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. www.churchilldownsincorporated.com

About Colonial Downs Racetrack

Colonial Downs Racetrack (“Colonial Downs”), located in New Kent, Virginia, adjacent to Interstate 64, halfway between Richmond and Williamsburg, is the home of the Virginia Derby. Colonial Downs’ hosts live Thoroughbred racing on two nationally-renowned racing surfaces. The Secretariat Turf Course is the widest turf course in North America at 180 feet wide and the dirt track is the country’s second in length at 1 ¼-mile offering equine athletes a safe and sprawling oval on which to compete. www.rosiesgaming.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 any pandemics, epidemics, or outbreaks of infectious diseases, including the impact of any future developments related to COVID-19, 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.