Churchill Downs Set To Host First Night Racing Card Friday

Racing Will Begin At 6:00pm ET Tonight At Churchill Downs, Four Races Will Need Lights

COME ONE, COME ALL: In Louisville, Eric Crawford writes Churchill is "smart to market to a wide range of tastes" with its night racing festivities, but "here's what's not smart: that this historic event is geared more toward glitz and glamour than rank and file." The "whole feel of this event, frankly, is one that casts the track as a hopping nightspot instead of a Louisville gathering place," and right now Churchill "needs as many people under its tent as it can get." Crawford writes horse racing is "about jockeys and exercise riders and grooms, veterinarians and a whole class of people and services on the backsides of racetracks that you never see." Crawford: "When the lights go on, Churchill Downs needs the biggest crowd possible, not the most beautiful" (Louisville COURIER-JOURNAL, 6/19).

NO ONE'S IMMUNE: CDI President & CEO Bob Evans Thursday said that Kentucky racetracks will "face stiff challenges if they aren't allowed to offer video lottery terminals." Evans: "Tracks without (video) slots are going to struggle mightily, there's no way around that." Evans added that a casino in Louisville, if approved, "would most likely bear a name that includes the words Churchill Downs or Twin Spires," and that even Churchill Downs, "with -- a reputation steeped in tradition -- will have a tough time competing ... if it can't offer alternative forms of gambling such as video slots." In Louisville, Alex Davis notes a new Infield Club that was in place for this year's Kentucky Derby "will be repeated again next year." The club "provided 5,000 fans with a 'luxury' experience that Evans said was somewhat of an oxymoron for the infield, but allowed ticket prices to be raised to $150 compared to the general admission price of $40." Churchill also "continues to install new [HD] television monitors to replace older sets that Evans said offer a quality similar to the 1950s," and Evans said that CDI is "looking to increase business in its sports and entertainment group -- which brought The Rolling Stones to the Downs in 2006 and is behind this year's night racing" (Louisville COURIER-JOURNAL, 6/19).

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