Track News

The first of three pools of Churchill Downs’ 2012 Kentucky Derby Future Wager (“KDFW”) begins its three-day run on Friday, Feb 10, and the bet’s opening scenario is very similar to each of its opening pools since the wager was created in 1999: the Mutuel Field, or “All Others”, looms as a very strong favorite.

 Churchill Downs oddsmaker Mike Battaglia has installed “All Others” as the 9-5 morning line choice for KDFW Pool 1, but the favored individual horse among the 24 wagering interests in this week’s Friday-Sunday pool is an exciting newcomer.  Starlight Racing’s unbeaten Algorithms (#1), is the favored individual horse at 8-1 and the overall second choice in Battaglia’s early odds for the Pool.  The Todd Pletcher-trained colt burst onto the road to the 138^th running of the Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (Grade I) with an emphatic five-length victory over previously unbeaten 2-year-old champion Hansen (#12) in the Holy Bull (GIII) at Gulfstream Park.

Not far behind Algorithms in Battaglia’s Pool 1 morning line odds is Chadds Ford Stable’s once-beaten Union Rags (#23, 10-1), winner of the Grade I Champagne, and Dr. Kendall Hansen and Sky Chai Racing’s Hansen (12-1), who won the Grey Goose Breeders’ Cup Juvenile (GI) to earn the Eclipse Award that honored him as America’s champion 2-year-old of 2011.

The popular Kentucky Derby Future Wager offers fans the opportunity to bet on candidates for the famed Kentucky Derby, America’s greatest race and one of the world’s premier sports events, well in advance of this year’s running of the famed 1 ¼-mile race for 3-year-old Thoroughbreds at Churchill Downs on Saturday, May 5.  Fans will receive the odds on their respective horse or horses that are place at the conclusion of wagering in each 2012 pool, and those odds could be significantly higher than those available on Kentucky Derby Day.

Wagering on 2012’s KDFW Pool 1 is scheduled to open on Friday at noon (all times Eastern) and will conclude on Sunday, Feb. 12 at 6 p.m.  The remaining pools are scheduled for March 2-4 and March 30-April 1, and all KDFW pools feature both win and exacta wagering.

All Kentucky Derby Future Wager pools include 24 betting interests that consist of 23 individual horses and the mutuel field, or “all others” interest.  That latter (#24) includes all 3-year-olds other than the pool’s 23 individual horses. 

All bets in the Kentucky Derby are $2 minimum wagers, and there are no refunds on any wager placed during a Kentucky Derby future pool.  If it is determined during any pool that an individual betting interest has suffered an illness, injury or other circumstance that would prevent that horse from competing in the Derby, wagering on that betting interest will be suspended immediately.

Wagering on KDFW Pool 1 is available through TwinSpires.com and other advance deposit wagering platforms and at racetracks and simulcast centers throughout North America.

Here’s the complete field: #1 Algorithms (8-1); #2 Alpha (20-1); #3 Battle Hardended (30-1); #4 Creative Cause (#20-1); #5 Discreet Dancer (15-1); #6 Dullahan (15-1); #7 El Padrino (20-1); #8 Empire Way (50-1); #9 Ever So Lucky (20-1); #10 Fed Biz (20-1); #11 Gemologist (20-1); #12 Hansen (12-1); #13 I’ll Have Another (20-1); #14 Junebugred (50-1); #15 Liaison (20-1); #16 Longview Drive (50-1); #17 Midnight Transfer (50-1); #18 Mr. Bowling (50-1); #19 Out of Bounds (20-1); #20 Rousing Sermon (30-1); #21 Sabercat (30-1); #22 Take Charge Indy (30-1); #23 Union Rags (10-1); and #24 mutuel field (“All Others”, 9-5).

“The mutuel field has been a solid favorite in every opening pool of the Kentucky Derby Future Wager and, given the loss by 2-year-old champion Hansen in his first start as a 3-year-old, there is every reason to think the ‘all others’ bet will be a strong-to-heavy favorite in what appears to be a wide-open crop of Kentucky Derby candidates,” said Battaglia.  “The ‘now’ horse is Algorithms, who is unbeaten, comes from the Pletcher barn, has a strong pedigree and easily handled the reigning 2-year-old champ in the Holy Bull.  The speed figures assigned to that win were impressive, so you can expect a lot of bettors to move in his direction.  But every pool has interesting Derby prospects at attractive odds, and we should remember that last year’s Derby winner, Animal Kingdom, did not even appear as an individual wagering interest until Pool 3.  So much can happen on the road to the Kentucky Derby.”

Algorithms is one of four KDFW Pool 1 horses trained by Pletcher, who saddled Super Saver to win the 2010 Kentucky Derby.  Other Pletcher trainees include unbeaten Discreet Dancer (#5 and the overall fifth choice at 15-1), unbeaten Kentucky Jockey Club (GII) winner Gemologist (#11, 20-1) and recent Gulfstream Park allowance winner El Padrino (20-1).  Hall of Famer and three-time Kentucky Derby winner Bob Baffert trains a pair of Pool 1 horses in Liaison (#15, 20-1) and Fed Biz (#10, 20-1).  Others with a pair of Pool 1 trainees include Hall of Famer trainer Jerry Hollendorfer, who trains Rousing Sermon (#20, 30-1) and Longview Drive (#16, 50-1), and Mike Harrington, who trains Norfolk (GI) winner Creative Cause (#4, 20-1) and Empire Way (#8, 50-1).

Team Valor’s Animal Kingdom, who went off at odds of 20-1 and paid $43.80 for a $2 win wager in the 2011 Kentucky Derby, was listed as an individual betting interest only during Pool 3 of last year’s Derby Future Wager.  He closed at odds of 31-1 in that pool and a $2 future wager on trainer Graham Motion’s colt returned $64.40 on Derby Day.  As a member of the “all others” mutuel field in the first two pools of 2011, he returned $6.20 for a Pool 1 bet and $9.40 for a Pool 2 wager.  Both Animal Kingdom and Derby runner-up Nehro were part of the “all others” interest (#24), so the KDFW $2 exacta payouts for the three pools were:

• Pool 1 – 24-13 (mutuel field over third-place Mucho Macho Man) for $230;
• Pool 2 – 24-12 (mutuel field over third-place Mucho Macho Man) for $388.20; and
• Pool 3 – 1-12 (Animal Kingdom over runner-up Nehro) for $3,074.60.

The Derby Day $2 exacta payout for Animal Kingdom over Nehro (16-19) was $329.80.

Real-time odds and other information on the KDFW will be available at the official event Web site at www.KentuckyDerby.com. Wagering interests for the 2012 Kentucky Derby Future Wager pools are chosen by a four-member committee that includes Mike Watchmaker, National Handicapper for Daily Racing Form (“DRF”); Brad Free, DRF West Coast correspondent; Ed DeRosa, Brisnet director of Marketing; and John Asher, vice president of racing communications for Churchill Downs.

Churchill Downs has set the dates for its trio of three-day betting pools for its 2012 Kentucky Derby Future Wager (“KDFW”) and a single pool for the historic track’s Kentucky Oaks Future Wager (“KOFW”).

Dates for the pools for the Kentucky Derby Future Wager, which is now in its 14^th year, are:

• Pool 1 – Feb. 10-12
• Pool 2 – March 2-4
• Pool 3 – March 30-April 1

 Wagering on each of the Kentucky Derby Future Wager pools will open at noon (all times Eastern) on Friday and close on Sunday at 6 p.m.  The KDFW Pools will feature both win and exacta wagering.

The single three-day pool for the Kentucky Oaks Future Wager, now in its ninth year, is scheduled for March 2-4 and will run concurrent to Pool 2 of the Kentucky Derby Future Wager.  Betting on the KOFW pool will open at noon on Friday and is set to conclude on Sunday at 6:30 p.m., 30 minutes after the conclusion of betting on the accompanying Kentucky Derby Future pool.  The Kentucky Oaks Future Pool will also offer win and exacta wagering.

The wagers provide fans of the Kentucky Derby and Kentucky Oaks opportunities to bet on potential competitors in those great American races at odds that could be considerably more attractive than those available on the days on which the respective races are run.  Winning mutuel payouts on both wagers are determined by the odds that are in place at the conclusion of each respective betting pool.

The 138^th running of the $2 million-guaranteed Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (Grade I), America’s greatest race and the 1 ¼-mile first jewel of the coveted Triple Crown for 3-year-olds, is scheduled to be run on Saturday, May 5 at Churchill Downs.  The $1 million-guaranteed Kentucky Oaks, the nation’s top prize for 3-year-old fillies, will be run on Friday, May 4, the eve of the Derby.  Like the Derby, the Kentucky Oaks has been contested annually since 1875 and its 2012 renewal will mark the 138^th consecutive year that the 1 1/8-mile “Derby for Fillies” has been run beneath the track’s historic Twin Spires.

Both the KDFW and KOFW pools consist of 24 wagering interests that include 23 individual horses and a mutuel field, or “all others” interest.  In the Kentucky Derby wager, the mutuel field is made up of all other 3-year-olds – including fillies.  The mutuel field in the Kentucky Oaks bet consists of all other 3-year-old fillies.

All bets in the Kentucky Derby and Kentucky Oaks Future Wagers are $2 minimum wagers.  No refund will be made on any wager placed during the Kentucky Derby and Kentucky Oaks Future pools.  If it is determined during an individual pool that any of the individual betting interests has suffered an illness, injury or other circumstance that would prevent that horse from competing in either race, wagering on that betting interest will be suspended immediately.

Wagering on the Derby and Oaks Future wagers is available through TwinSpires.com and other advance deposit wagering platforms and at racetracks and simulcast centers throughout North America.

Team Valor’s Animal Kingdom, who went off at odds of 20-1 and paid $43.80 for a $2 win wager in the 2011 Kentucky Derby, was listed as an individual betting interest only during Pool 3 of last year’s Derby Future Wager.  He closed at odds of 31-1 in that pool and a $2 future wager on trainer Graham Motion’s colt returned $64.40 on Derby Day.  As a member of the “all others” mutuel field in the first two pools of 2011, he returned $6.20 for a Pool 1 bet and $9.40 for a Pool 2 wager.  Both Animal Kingdom and Derby runner-up Nehro were part of the “all others” interest (#24), so the KDFW $2 exacta payouts for the three pools were:

• Pool 1 – 24-13 (mutuel field over third-place Mucho Macho Man) for $230;
• Pool 2 – 24-12 (mutuel field over third-place Mucho Macho Man) for $388.20;
• Pool 3 – 1-12 (Animal Kingdom over runner-up Nehro) for $3,074.60.

 The Derby Day $2 exacta payout for Animal Kingdom over Nehro (16-19) was $329.80.

Eventual Kentucky Oaks winner Plum Pretty was not an individual betting interest in the lone Kentucky Oaks Future Wager pool, but returned $21.80 to win as member of the KOFW mutuel field.  The Peachtree Stable filly trained by Bob Baffert returned $14.60 for a $2 win wager on Oaks Day.  Both Plum Pretty and runner-up St. John’s River were members of the mutuel field, so the KOFW exacta paid to 24-23, with third-place Zazu under the top two “all others” finishers, and returned $142.20 for a $2 bet.  The Oaks Day exacta of Plum Pretty over St. John’s River (12-13) paid $163 for a $2 wager.

Wagering for the three 2011 Kentucky Derby Future Wager Pools totaled $1,362,101, the fifth highest total since the Derby bet was introduced in 1999 and its largest three-pool betting total since 2007.  Kentucky Oaks fans wagered $92,902 during the single KOFW pool of 2011, second only to the single-pool total of $117,368 recorded in the wager’s introductory year in 2003.

Wagering interests for the 2012 Kentucky Derby and Kentucky Oaks future pools will be announced on the Wednesday prior to the Friday start of each pool.  Real-time odds and other information on the KDFW will be available at the official event Web site at www.KentuckyDerby.com, and information on the KOFW will be available at www.KentuckyOaks.com.

A memorial service for Julian Logan “Buck” Wheat, the longtime director of Horsemen’s Relations and the unofficial “Mayor of the Backside” at Churchill Downs, will be held at the home of the Kentucky Derby on Wednesday, Dec. 28.

Wheat, 78, died on Wednesday, Dec. 21 at University of Louisville Hospital of complications from injuries suffered in a fall at his home a day earlier.  His life was linked to Churchill Downs, the Kentucky Derby and the horse industry for more than six decades.

The Wednesday memorial service for Wheat is scheduled for 1 p.m. (all times Eastern) in the Triple Crown Room in Churchill Downs’ Jockey Club Suites.  Visitation for Wheat is set for Tuesday, Dec. 27, from 12-8 p.m. at Highlands Funeral Home, 3331 Taylorsville Road.  Additional visitation is scheduled Wednesday in the Triple Crown Room from 11 a.m. until the memorial service begins.

Those attending Wednesday’s visitation and memorial service at Churchill Downs should enter the track via Gate 1, which is located off Central Avenue adjacent to the Kentucky Derby Museum.

Wheat was known simply as “Buck” to friends throughout the horse industry and countless others he had encountered in his unofficial role at as an ambassador for the industry, the Kentucky Derby and Churchill Downs.  The son of Thoroughbred trainer Logan Wheat, Buck Wheat had been associated with the historic home of the Kentucky Derby in several roles – including a stretch as a trainer – since he took his first job at the track as an usher at the age of 16.  Wheat entered his Horsemen’s Relations post in 1986 and held that position at the time of his death.

He is survived by his children, Kevin Wheat (Kim), Dennis Wheat (Rhonda) and Denise Sohm, and their mother, Barbara Passifume; his grandchildren Matthew, Baili, Heather, Cooper and Jessica; his great grandchild, Aiden; and his companion, Debbie Hunt.

Wheat was preceded in death by his father; his mother, Katherine M. Wheat; and his sister, Margie Atherton.

His family has requested that memorial contributions be made to the Horsemen’s Benevolent and Protective Association, Permanently Disabled Jockeys Fund, Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation or the Racetrack Chaplaincy of America.        

Julian Logan “Buck” Wheat, Churchill Downs’ Director of Horsemen’s Relations long known as the “Mayor of the Backside” at the home of the Kentucky Derby, died Wednesday afternoon of complications from injuries suffered in a Tuesday fall at his home.  Wheat was 78.

The Churchill Downs veteran, whose career at the track in various roles spanned more than 60 years, died at approximately 2:10 p.m. (EST) at University of Louisville Hospital, where he had been treated since he was found unconscious in his home following his Tuesday accident.  Family members said Wheat did not appear to be seriously injured following the mishap, but they became concerned when he could not be contacted later in the day.  He was rushed to the hospital after family members went to Wheat’s home to check on him, but he never regained consciousness.

Wheat apparently suffered serious head injuries in that fall.

Known simply as “Buck” to owners, trainers, jockeys and fans of every type, Wheat was the son of trainer Logan Wheat and launched a formal association with Churchill Downs that would last most of his life when he took a job as an usher at the age of 16 in 1949.  He attempted to follow in his father’s footsteps as a trainer for a few years, but accepted the post of Director of Horsemen’s Relations at Churchill Downs in 1986.   That post – in which Wheat served as the initial contact for owners and trainers who brought their horses to compete at Churchill Downs in the Kentucky Derby, Kentucky Oaks and other races throughout the year – became the signature job of his long career.  Despite occasional health concerns in recent years, Wheat held that position at the time of his death.

“We could not begin to name, or even count, all of the people who have worked at Churchill Downs in one capacity or another since our track opened in 1875, but Buck Wheat is part of a very small number who became a true part of the fabric of this institution and the Kentucky Derby,” said Kevin Flanery, president of Churchill Downs Racetrack.  “Buck was a friend to all who had the good fortune to cross his path, and a great ambassador for Churchill Downs, the Derby and the horse industry and his efforts went far beyond his listed duties.  We will forever miss the one and only ‘Mayor of the Backside.’  As a friend and co-worker, Buck Wheat is simply irreplaceable.”

Wheat’s work as Director of Horsemen’s Relations frequently wandered far beyond the formal job description for that post.  Throughout his time at Churchill Downs, Wheat greeted fans and dignitaries from all walks of life on visits to the track’s stable area and served as an unofficial ambassador for the historic track, the Kentucky Derby and Kentucky’s signature horses industry.  His activities included work as a guide on countless tours by groups and individuals through the track’s stable area, and those efforts led Wheat to his unofficial title of “Mayor of the Backside.”  Many of his tours, speaking engagements and other activities benefited charitable organizations and causes.

He was honored several times for his work at Churchill Downs and never-ending charitable activities.  The most recent of those honors came earlier this year during Kentucky Derby Week when Wheat received the “Dean Eagle Award” from Knights of Columbus Bishop Spalding Council No. 2761.  That award, named for the late Courier-Journal sports columnist Dean Eagle, annually honors individuals for their contributions to the Thoroughbred racing industry.  Previous winners of that award include Hall of Fame and Kentucky Derby-winng trainers trainers D. Wayne Lukas, Bob Baffert, Nick Zito, Bill Mott, Carl Nafzger, MacKenzie Miller and Woody Stephens; owners Seth Hancock of Claiborne Farm, the late William T. Young and Penny Chenery of Secretariat fame; jockeys Steve Cauthen and Pat Day; and even Secretariat himself, the legendary winner of the 1973 Kentucky Derby and Triple Crown.

In 2001, Dogwood Stable honored Wheat with its “Dogwood Dominion Award,” which annually recognizes “unsung heroes” of the horse industry.  As he handed the award to Wheat, Dogwood Stable’s W. Cothran “Cot” Campbell said, “’Unsung hero’ is Buck Wheat’s middle name.”

Wheat is survived by three children: Denise, Kevin and Dennis; five grandchildren and one great-grandchild; and Barbara Passafiume, his first wife and the mother of his three children.  Among Wheat’s countless friends is his special companion, Debbie Hunt, who shared many joyous moments and special events with Buck and his family and friends in recent years.

Funeral arrangements have not been finalized, but family members say there will be no memorial service until after Christmas holiday.

Churchill Downs concluded the 122^nd Fall Meet in its 137-year history on Sunday, Nov 27 during which rainy weather failed to dim the highlights of a memorable 21-day racing session highlighted by a record eighth visit by the Breeders’ Cup World Championships, the introduction of a new star in the Grade I Clark Handicap Presented by Norton Healthcare, and a sparkling racing session for Bill Mott, the track’s all-time leading trainer.

Other highlights of the Oct. 30-Nov. 27 meet included a successful “Downs After Dark” night racing session on Friday, Nov. 18; the track’s first participation in Movember, a worldwide effort to raise awareness of and research funding for the effort to find a cure for prostate cancer; and a popular renewal of the annual Churchill Downs-Kentucky Thoroughbred Association College Scholarship Day.

While the overall tone of the session was positive, one negative trend continued as the average size of a race field in 209 Fall Meet races dipped from 9.76 in 2010 to 9.38.  The average field size was the lowest for a Fall Meet since 2002, when fields averaged 9.39 horses per race during a 30-day racing session.

While that average field size, fueled in part by Churchill Downs’ strong program of 2-year-old racing in the fall, remained competitive with other major tracks that operated during the same time period, track officials viewed the decline as a sign of continued pressure from other racing markets that offer racing purses fortified by revenues from casino wagering, which this fall included New York tracks for the first time.

“We sincerely thank all of the fans who ventured to Churchill Downs to enjoy our Fall Meet beneath the Twin Spires and those who supported our racing program in simulcast centers throughout North America and via TwinSpires.com and other advance deposit wagering platforms,” said Kevin Flanery, president of Churchill Downs Racetrack.  “The record eighth visit by the Breeders’ Cup World Championships was a success by any measure; our stakes schedule, daily races and 2-year-old racing program were strong and our special events combined for a memorable meet that generated many smiles throughout its 21 days.

“While the tone of the meet was largely positive, the decline in the size of the average field of horses competing in our more than 200 races is a clear reason for concern.  While many factors contribute to the success of a racing program, strong and competitive purses are at the top of that list.  Churchill Downs faces growing competitive pressures from tracks in other racing dates that offer purses fattened by casino and other gaming revenues, a group of competitors that grew when the first racetrack casino to support a New York Racing Association (“NYRA”) track opened in late October at Aqueduct.  We sincerely thank the owners, trainers and the all-star jockey colony that participated in our Fall Meet and supported Churchill Downs racing throughout the year.  We know you have other options for your stables and we look forward to working with you again in our 2012 Spring Meet.”

The 2012 Fall Meet got off to a rousing start with the Breeders’ Cup World Championships, the event’s first stop at Churchill Downs in consecutive years and its second visit in its two-day format.

Total attendance over two days of Breeders’ Cup racing was 105,820, down from last year’s record at Churchill Downs of 114,353.  All-sources betting on a record 15 races, capped by the upset victory by WinStar Farm’s Drosselmeyer in the $5 million Breeders’ Cup Classic (GI), was $155,525,947, second only to last year’s record total betting $163,619,784 on the first two-day Breeders’ Cup at Churchill Downs.

Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott, the all-time leader in victories and stakes wins at Churchill Downs, enjoyed a successful Fall Meet that included Breeders’ Cup wins with Drosselmeyer and Royal Delta, who took the $2 million Ladies’ Classic (GI).  Mott added two more local stakes victories with a Thanksgiving Day win by Carolyn Wilson’s Arena Elvira in the $175,000-added Falls City Handicap (GII) and a win by Juddmonte Farm’s Deluxe in the Cardinal (GIII) on turf.  Mott ended the meet with a record of nine wins from 22 starters and his career win total stood at 658, a number that includes 84 stakes victories.

A star-making performance by Mort Fink’s Wise Dan in the $572,500 Clark Handicap Presented by Norton Healthcare topped a list of impressive stakes performances meet. Trainer Charlie Lopresti’s 4-year-old gelding stamped himself a horse-to-watch in 2012 with his emphatic four-length victory under jockey John Velazquez.  The versatile Wise Dan had earlier won Churchill Downs’ $203,000 Firecracker Handicap (GII) in his debut on turf, and also notched a pair of stakes wins over synthetic surfaces.

Other stakes highlights of the fall included exciting efforts by young stars in races for 2-year-olds during the meet’s pair of Stars of Tomorrow racing programs.  The 85^th running of the Kentucky Jockey Club (GII) included impressive runs by its top three finishers – WinStar Farm’s Gemologist, a two-time winner during the meet; Augustin Stable’s Ever So Lucky and A. Stevens Miles Jr.’s Timely Tally – that indicated Kentucky Derby potential.  And Anita Cauley’s homebred On Fire Baby dominated the 68^th running of the Golden Rod (GII) for veteran local trainer Gary Hartlage and jockey Joe Johnson.  The daughter of Smoke Glacken had won the Pocahontas (GII) on Stars of Tomorrow I and her sweep of the fall stakes races for 2-year-old fillies was the seventh in track history.

Other notable stakes performances include an easy victory by Glen Hill Farm’s Marketing Mix in the $200,550 Mrs. Revere (GIII) for 3-year-old fillies on turf and a pair of stakes triumphs for trainer Eddie Kenneally with Avalon Farm’s Buckleupbuttercup in the Chilukki (GIII) and Anstu Stables’ veteran Blues Street in the River City Handicap (GIII) on turf.  Lothenbach Stable’s 4-year-old Mister Marti Gras rallied to take the Ack Ack Handicap (GIII), and Sagamore Farm’s Hunble and Hungry took the Commonwealth Turf (GIII) for 3-year-olds.  A win by Lantern Hill Farm’s Motor City in the Iroquois (GIII) and On Fire Baby’s Pocahontas, both on the opening day Stars of Tomorrow I card on Oct. 30, launched the meet’s stakes races.

Winners of the Fall Meet’s “human races” were familiar faces.  Ken and Sarah Ramsey, the all-time leaders in wins by an owner at Churchill Downs, won 12 races and a record 10^th Fall Meet “leading owner” title. The Ramseys, who own 18 local titles overall, turned back runners-up Billy, Donna and Justin Hays.

Jockey Julien Leparoux earned his fifth consecutive Fall Meet “leading rider” crown by holding off runner-up Corey Lanerie by a 34-27 margin.  The native Frenchman owns nine Churchill Downs titles overall.

The nip-and-tuck battle for “leading trainer” honors between Mike Maker and Steve Asmussen during the final days of the meet ended in a dead-heat.  Asmussen won one race on the meet’s final day to tie Maker at 15 victories and gained a share of the title.  Each had a last-chance horse in the 10^th race, but the Maker-trained Twinspired finished second and Asmussen was fourth with Joes Blazing Aaron.  With his share of the title, Asmussen swept Churchill Downs’ Spring and Fall Meet training crowns for the third consecutive year and has won or shared 11 Churchill Downs titles overall.  Maker’s lone previous title came in the 2008 Fall Meet.

Individual milestones reached during 21 racing days included the 650^th career victory for Mott, which came in a win by James Karp’s Anecdote in the eighth race on Nov. 2.  Asmussen become the fifth trainer in U.S. racing to win 6,000 races, and earned that win on his 46^th birthday with a 2-year-old named Basalt on Nov. 19 at Remington Park. He had scored his 5,999^th win a short time earlier with Dr. Rodney Orr’s Grinning Gang in Churchill Downs’ third race. Jockey Jon Court earned his 400^th Churchill Downs win aboard Bluegrass Hall LLC’s Red Jack in the sixth race on Saturday, Nov. 26.  Lanerie notched his 300^th victory beneath the Twin Spires on Nov. 6 with a win aboard Clover Towne Farm’s Taptowne in the 9^th race.

The first “Movember” celebration was a meet-long highlight, as male members of the Churchill Downs Racetrack team, headed by Flanery, were joined by Ray Paulick, publisher of The Paulick Report, to grow  mustaches in support of the prostate cancer awareness effort.  Throughout the Fall Meet patrons could purchase Movember mustaches for $1, with all proceeds going to the Movember effort.  A signature drink dubbed the “Fu Manchu-rita” was sold during the meet, and $1 from the purchase of each drink was donated to the Movember effort.  The “Stache Bash” celebration that closed out the Churchill Downs Movember on Saturday, Nov. 26 honored Tim Greener of Louisville, who was honored through an online contest as the track’s first “Man of Movember.”  Greener, a prostate cancer survivor who was first diagnosed in 2009, spent a day at the races in Millionaire’s Row and received “Stache Bash Swag Bag” as part of the festivities.

The annual “College Scholarship Day” on Friday, Nov. 11 again proved popular with college students throughout the region.  Full-time students were admitted free and drawings for $1,000 scholarships were held after each of the day’s 10 races.   The day concluded with a paddock concert by Grammy nominee David Nail.

Churchill Downs employees again opened their hearts and wallets to join volunteers from The Lord’s Kitchen for the annual “Thanksgiving Family Food Box Giveaway” on Tuesday, Nov. 22.  Some 600 frozen turkeys and boxes filled with non-perishable foods were distributed to needy families from neighborhoods near the track.  Many employees donated food items and assembled and stocked boxes on the eve of the event.

Racing returns to Churchill Downs on Saturday, April 28, 2012. The 138th Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands will be run a week later on Saturday, May 5.

Volunteers and staff from The Lord’s Kitchen and racetrack and corporate team members from Churchill Downs have started Thanksgiving Week beneath the historic Twin Spires with the annual task of preparing boxes of food items that will distributed with frozen turkeys during the charitable organization’s annual Thanksgiving Family Food Box Giveaway at the track on Tuesday, Nov. 22.

The Thanksgiving food boxes, which contain canned goods and other non-perishable items sufficient to feed a family of four, are being assembled today by volunteers in the Paddock Pavilion, the site of Tuesday’s distribution.  Many Churchill Downs employees and officials have also donated food items for the boxes, with some track departments competing against each other for the honor of collecting the largest amount of food items donated to the annual event.

Nearly 600 families were served during the Thanksgiving Family Food Box Giveaway in 2010 and at least that many will receive frozen turkeys and boxes packed with holiday foods and trimmings this year.  The food box distribution is scheduled for 10 a.m. (all times EST) Tuesday in the track’s Paddock Pavilion.

Only those who previously registered to participate in The Lord’s Kitchen’s Thanksgiving Family Food Box Giveaway will be provided with a turkey and food box on Tuesday. There is no walk-up distribution.  Information on The Lord’s Kitchen is available online at www.theLordsKitchen.com.

The Lord’s Kitchen is located just a few blocks from Churchill Downs at 2732 South 5^thStreet and has been serving needy families and residents in the neighborhood surrounding the historic home of the Kentucky Derby since Christmas Day, 1988. The organization recently expanded its mission and facilities with the opening of its City of Hope at 18^th and Standard Avenue.

The 2011 renewal marks the fifth consecutive year that Churchill Downs has teamed with The Lord’s Kitchen for the holiday Family Food Box Giveaway.

“The Thanksgiving Family Food Box Giveaway is always a very special occasion for needy residents in our community that we serve 365 days a year and the volunteers who open their hearts to provide their time, service and financial support for this event,” said Sam Watene, executive director of The Lord’s Kitchen.  “Churchill Downs is both a good neighbor and important supporter of the work of The Lord’s Kitchen, and it is a joy each year to join the generous volunteers from its staff for this event that touches so many lives during a very important time.  The need among the families we serve in neighborhoods surrounding Churchill Downs and throughout our entire community continues to grow, so we thank Churchill Downs and those throughout Metro Louisville who support of our Thanksgiving  Family Food Box Giveaway and the work of The Lord’s Kitchen throughout the year.”

Additional volunteers to serve meals at The Lord’s Kitchen on Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day are needed. Those interested in volunteering or donating food for other holiday programs at The Lord’s Kitchen should call (502) 964-3304, ext. 1250. 

Hundreds of survivors of breast cancer will join family and friends, Gov Steve Beshear and First Lady Jane Beshear, and other dignitaries on Sunday, Nov 20 at Churchill Downs for the track’s annual “Horses and Hope Day at the Races.”

The daylong celebration at the historic home of the Kentucky Derby is designed to raise awareness and funding for the work of “Horses and Hope,” First Lady Jane Beshear‘s breast cancer outreach initiative that provides information and offers free breast cancer screenings to workers in Kentucky’s signature horse industry.

Horses and Hope works in partnership with the Kentucky Cancer Program to make the information and screenings available to the more than 80,000 equine-related workers in Kentucky.  Many served by “Horses and Hope” work in racetrack stables or on horses farms and are either underinsured or have no insurance coverage.  Without Horses and Hope, many of those workers have little or no access to breast cancer information and screening services.

The First Lady and Gov. Beshear are scheduled to join breast cancer survivors in the winner’s circle for the trophy presentation following Sunday’s fifth race.  Post time for that special Horses and Hope race is scheduled for 2:35 p.m. (all times EST).  Sunday’s first race post time is 12:40 p.m.

Visitors to Churchill Downs on Sunday will find a pink tent in the Paddock Garden in which information on the prevention and treatment of breast cancer will be available.  Approximately 1,000 breast cancer survivors, family members and friends will enjoy the day on Millionaires Row 4 and in the Skye Terrace, where Horses & Hope outreach information will also be available.

Patrons will be able to support Horses and Hope through the purchase of logoed merchandise at the Paddock Garden information tent and in the Clubhouse dining areas where breast cancer survivors and their Horses and Hope guests are seated.

Sunday’s racing fans can also purchase the Oaks Lily, the official drink of the Kentucky Oaks, and $1 from the sale of each Oaks Lily will go directly to Horses and Hope.  Donations to the initiative can also be made through Churchill Downs’ “Pony Up for Charity” program.  Patrons will be able to round up by $1 or more the total price of purchases at all concession points-of-sale throughout the track and those funds will go to Horses and Hope.

Churchill Downs is a fundraising partner with Horses and Hope on Kentucky Oaks Day, with $1 going the initiative from the sale of each Oaks Lily.  More than $90,000 has been raised for Horses and Hope during that fundraising partnership during the past three years.

The lone Downs After Dark nighttime racing event of Churchill Downs’ 21-day Fall Meet is Friday (Nov 18), and the first of 11 races under the lights at the historic home of the Kentucky Derby will be 4:30 pm (all times Eastern).

Presented by Budweiser Select, Downs After Dark will have an “Animal Kingdom” theme in which fans are encouraged to incorporate animal prints – one of the top 2011 Fall/Winter fashion trends – into their wardrobe for this exciting night of dining, dancing and racing beneath the Twin Spires. The theme also plays homage to this year’s Kentucky Derby winner, owned by Team Valor International.

The wildly-stylish party under the lights will feature an energetic mix of racing and live entertainment throughout the evening. Churchill Downs will be transformed into a wild “Animal Kingdom” with exotic print décor in the Paddock area and dining rooms.

Music at the track will be showcased throughout the evening. To set the tone for the party, the acoustic duo Josh and Holly will perform between live races in the paddock area from 3-5:30 p.m. and will be followed by “Decks and Drums,” a unique performance by DJ Prism (voted “Louisville’s Best Club DJ” in 2010-11 by LEO Magazine readers) and drummer Alex “Fro” Fromeyer from 6-8 p.m. The night will conclude with a performance by Nashville’s popular funk/rhythm and blues/soul band Burning Las Vegas from 8:30-10:30 p.m. (closing time).

Churchill Downs admission gates will open at 3 p.m. The first of 11 live races will be 4:30 p.m. and sunset is 5:28 p.m., which means at least seven races will be held under the lights. The final race is scheduled for 9:36 p.m. ET.

Cover charge (general admission) to Downs After Dark is $10 until 8:30 p.m. and $20 thereafter. Also, no one under the age of 18 will be admitted to the track after 8:30 p.m. unless they are accompanied by a parent.  Holders of shareholders passes or horsemen licenses, as well as select Twin Spires Club members (Platinum, Gold, Silver and Bronze members only) and children age 12 and under (when accompanied by an adult) will be admitted free of charge.

All reserved ticket packages are available for purchase online at ChurchillDowns.com/Tickets – Churchill Downs’ convenient online box office platform. Customers also can call the Churchill Downs switchboard at (502) 636-4400.

The hot ticket is entrance to the new Millionaires Lounge, which has already been sold out. For $40, customers will receive racetrack admission, an official program, access to the Millionaires Lounge on the sixth floor of the Clubhouse which includes a balcony view of the racetrack (no reserved seat) and an exclusive, limited edition bourbon tasting of the new Woodford Reserve Master’s Collection (three bourbon tastings paired with food samplings). The Millionaires Lounge will also feature a cash bar, feature menu and live entertainment by Grupo Ache.

Some dining packages in Skye Terrace 6 remain available for $59.90 and include admission, a reserved seat, official program and scrumptious buffet dinner. Meanwhile, there are third-floor box seats available in sections 314-321 for $20 and include general admission, a box seat in the third-floor clubhouse and an official program.

The Voice-Tribune’s Angie Fenton will serve as Churchill Downs’ entertainment correspondent with special interviews and features on the infield video screens and television monitors between races.

Between races 6-9, the popular sweepstakes promotion “Bet or No Bet” sponsored by Thorntons (now a “Text to Enter” promotion) will return in which four lucky on-track patrons will be randomly drawn and faced with a tough decision: to take $100 in cash or place a $1,000 win bet on a horse in the upcoming race.

The final race of the night is scheduled for 9:36 p.m., but the party will continue in the paddock area until 10:30 p.m.

An added treat will be a special appearance by renowned artist Robert Joyner, who’ll be on hand after Race 5 (6:28 p.m.) in the Churchill Downs Gift Shop to sign prints of his official artwork for Kentucky Derby 138 and Kentucky Oaks 138.

The National Weather Service forecast for Friday calls for sunny skies with a high near 55 (right on par with the average for the date), followed by mostly clear skies and a low around 38 in the evening. Churchill Downs has added several portable outdoor heaters in select locations, such as the paddock area and Clubhouse and Jockey Club Suites balconies, to help keep outdoor patrons warm.

As usual, Churchill Downs will be open early for simulcast wagering on the second floor of the clubhouse on Friday. General admission will be its regular price of $3 from 11:30 a.m. until 3 p.m. at Gate 17.

On-site parking at Churchill Downs – free in the Longfield Avenue lot and $3 in all other lots – will be available on a first-come, first-served basis. There is also satellite parking at Papa John’s Cardinal Stadium (starting at $5 due to Friday’s state quarterfinals playoff football game between the Trinity Shamrocks and St. Xavier Tigers at 8 p.m.) with free shuttle service to Gate 17. Additionally, there is select parking in the surrounding neighborhood with enterprising neighbors.

Downs After Dark presented by Budweiser Select, the perfect blend of an upscale night on the town with the excitement of thoroughbred racing, has been a spectacular success while showcasing live racing with ancillary entertainment such as food, fashion, music and parties. So far, more than 325,000 horseplayers and entertainment-seekers have attended the 12 special nighttime programs since June 2009. The first nighttime event during the Fall Meet a year ago lured 15,583 fans – three times the norm for a Friday afternoon in the fall – and $6,238,179 in total wagers ($966,091 on-track and $5,272,088 off-track). Event sponsors include Budweiser Select, Woodford Reserve, Bacardi, Shane Co., Thorntons and RAM.

SPECIAL DOWNS AFTER DARK POST TIMES: Race 1 (start of early Pick 4), 4:30 p.m.; Race 2, 4:58 p.m.; Race 3, 5:27 p.m.; Race 4 (start of mid-card Pick 4), 5:57 p.m.; Race 5, 6:28 p.m.; Race 6 (start of Pick 6), 7 p.m.; Race 7, 7:32 p.m. (start of Pick 5); Race 8 (start of late Pick 4), 8:04 p.m.; Race 9, 8:36 p.m.; Race 10, 9:08 p.m.; and Race 11 (Super Hi-5), 9:36 p.m.

Fans attending Fall Meet racing at Churchill Downs during Friday’s “Downs After Dark” night racing celebration and racing programs on Saturday and Sunday will have the opportunity to help local charities heading into the holiday season throughout the historic track’s “Pony Up for Charity” Weekend.

Patrons attending Churchill Downs during the weekend’s races will have the opportunity at all food and beverage points of sale to add $1 or more to their tab to benefit the day’s designated charitable organization.

The track’s first “Pony Up for Charity” effort was conducted on Friday, June 24 – two days after a rare tornado roared through the Churchill Downs stable area and damaged several barns.  Funds generated through that initial “Pony Up” opportunity were distributed to backside workers who lost possessions in the storm.

Designated charities for the Fall Meet “Pony Up for Charity” efforts are:

Friday, Nov. 18 ‘Downs After Dark”: New Vocations Racehorse Adoption Program – Operating in Kentucky, Indiana and four other states, New Vocations trains retired racehorses to be pleasure mounts and operates an outreach program that allows at-risk young people to work with horses.  More information is available on New Vocations at http://www.horseadoption.com.

Saturday, Nov. 19:  The Lord’s Kitchen – Every day since it’s opening day on Christmas Day, 1988, the Lord’s Kitchen has fed needy residents in neighborhoods surrounding Churchill Downs at its initial location at 2732 South 5^th.  The Lord’s Kitchen recently expanded its reach with the opening of its City of Hope at 18^th and Standard Avenue.  More information is available at http://www.thelordskitchen.com.

Sunday, Nov. 20: Horses & Hope – The breast cancer outreach initiative launched by Kentucky First Lady Jane Beshear offers breast cancer information and free screenings to the more than 80,000 thousand workers in Kentucky’s equine industry, ranging from backside workers and racetrack employees to workers on breeding farms and training centers throughout the state.  Working with the Kentucky Cancer Program, “Horses & Hope” distributes that information and conducts breast cancer screenings in a population in which many workers have no other access to that vital health care information.  Breast cancer survivors and others touched by the program will be at Churchill Downs on Sunday for the annual “Horses & Hope Day at the Races,” and all “Pony Up for Charity” proceeds on the day will go directly to the First Lady’s important and growing initiative.  More information is available at http://www.horsesandhope.org.

Patrons who contribute to those charitable organizations throughout those three days of Fall Meet racing will receive a commemorative sticker that says “I Ponied Up for Charity.” 

Those who purchase seating for daily racing and other events through Churchill Downs’ online ticket office at http://www.ChurchillDowns.com/Tickets will also have an opportunity to ‘Pony Up’ by adding $1 or more to the balance of their seating purchase.

Twenty-eight outstanding Metro Louisville area high school students – all members of the 2011 class of Churchill Downs Governor’s Scholars (“CDGS”) – will be welcomed and honored at Churchill Downs, the famed home of the Kentucky Derby, during a reception at the track on Thursday, Nov. 17.

The students will be joined by their parents, family members and representatives of their respective schools in a reception at the historic track to celebrate their participation in the Churchill Downs Governor’s Scholars Program, which has funded participation in the overall Kentucky Governor’s Scholars Program for nearly 300 students since it was launched in 2001.

The reception for this year’s class of Churchill Downs Governor’s Scholars is set for 11 a.m. (EST) in the Trophy Room on the fifth floor of the Churchill Downs Clubhouse.  The 2011 CDGS class members will be honored by dignitaries that include Kevin Flanery; president of Churchill Downs; Dr. Aris Cedeno, academic dean of the Kentucky Governor’s Scholars program; Rep. Darryl Owens, chairman of the Jefferson County legislative delegation, and other local lawmakers.

The overall Kentucky Governor’s Scholars Program is funded by the Kentucky Legislature and corporate and private donors, but the Churchill Downs Governor’s Scholars initiative is unique in that it exclusively funds the participation in the overall program for students who have overcome personal adversity, illness and other life challenges to become high achievers in their personal lives and academic pursuits.  The Churchill Downs Governor’s Scholars program funds the participation of one student from each of the Kentucky legislative districts in Jefferson County, some of which extend into surrounding counties.

Established in 1983, the Kentucky Governor’s Scholars Program allows more than 1,000 participating high school students from across the Commonwealth to spend five weeks on a Kentucky college campus between their junior and senior years to take part in an intense program of hands-on academic studies, leadership building activities and co-curricular programs.

Students are selected to participate in the program free of charge. The mission of the Kentucky Governor’s Scholars Program is to enhance Kentucky's next generation of civic and economic leaders. The 2011 leadership programs were conducted on the campuses of Bellarmine University in Louisville, Danville’s Centre College and Murray State University.