Thanksgiving
Nearly 600 Families Served with Thanksgiving Food Boxes by The Lord's Kitchen at Churchill Downs
Nearly 600 needy families in Louisville received food that will be served on their Thanksgiving dinner tables as The Lord's Kitchen distributed frozen turkeys and boxes of food during its annual Thanksgiving Family Food Box Giveaway on Tuesday at Churchill Downs. [asset|height=12|width=1][asset|height=12|width=1]
Hundreds of people were lined up at the Gate 1 entrance to the famed home of the Kentucky Derby when the doors opened at noon (EST) for the holiday food giveaway, which was conducted by The Lord's Kitchen in the track's Paddock Pavilion for the second consecutive year.
The Lord's Kitchen, which is located just a few blocks from the historic racetrack at 2732 South 5th Street, is in its 20th year of serving the needs of needy families and residents in the neighborhood. Rev. Larry Coleman, the director of The Lord's Kitchen, estimated that more than 570 families were provided at Tuesday's event with food boxes that contained canned goods and non-perishable items sufficient to feed a family of four.
The distribution included 450 turkeys - 100 of which had been donated by Churchill Downs. Members of the staffs at Churchill Downs and Churchill Downs Incorporated donated food items for the event and volunteered to help in the distribution of the food boxes in the Paddock Pavilion.
"It's been a great day in our community," said Rev. Coleman. "Churchill Downs is one of our closest corporate neighbors, and it's just been a great day to be able to touch families at Thanksgiving time. We gave out turkeys and all the fixings to go with that. We serve 365 days a year at The Lord's Kitchen - every day we're serving families."
Coleman has been with The Lord's Kitchen since its first day of operation on Christmas Day 1988. He said the need for the Thanksgiving Family Food Box Giveaway and for the daily services offered by his organization has grown sharply in recent weeks as the turmoil in the American economy has worsened.
"The need has really increased - we're seeing even middle class individuals come," Coleman said. "Individuals normally walk to our facility, but now some are driving up in pretty nice automobiles. You see a lot of people who've lost their jobs. We're serving a lot of different groups of people now."
"We were very happy to help out last year when Rev. Coleman called and said The Lord's Kitchen needed more space to accommodate the growing number of people served in its Thanksgiving food giveaway," said Dana Johnson, director of community relations for Churchill Downs. "Our employees quickly embraced this event and have donated their time and energy - along with needed food items - to help make this event a success. We applaud the work that Rev. Coleman and the staff and volunteers of The Lord's Kitchen for the important work they perform in our neighborhood every day and Churchill Downs is proud to be a partner with the organization in that work."
Coleman said that, while The Lord's Kitchen serves meals to needy families every day, more volunteers are would be needed to help in the serving of meals at the South 5th Street facility on both Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day. As many as 350 meals are expected to be served on each of those days. Those interested in volunteering or donating food to The Lord's Kitchen should call (502) 964-3304 ext. 1250.
Churchill Downs Opens 119th Fall Meet on Sunday, Oct. 26 With Ack Ack Handicap, 2009 Wall Calendar Giveaway
(Monday, Oct. 20, 2008) – World-class horse racing returns to legendary Churchill Downs on Sunday, Oct. 26 for the Louisville, Ky. racetrack’s 119th Fall Meet which covers 26 days through Saturday, Nov. 29.
After opening day, live racing will be conducted on a Wednesday-Sunday schedule with dark days on Mondays and Tuesdays except for a special holiday program on Tuesday, Nov. 11. Instead of racing on Election Day, as was the case in recent years, Churchill Downs will stage a special Veterans Day program.
Most days will begin at 12:40 p.m. ET and feature 10 live races. There’ll be 11-race cards on opening day and the first Saturday of the Meet, which doubles as “Stars of Tomorrow I”. Twelve-race programs that begin early at 11:30 a.m. ET will be showcased over the meet’s final three days that comprise the Thanksgiving holiday weekend: Thursday, Nov. 27 (Thanksgiving Day); Friday, Nov. 28 (Clark Handicap Day); and closing day on Saturday, Nov. 29 (Stars of Tomorrow II).
Horsemen – led by 2007 Fall Meet leaders Julien Leparoux (jockey), Steve Asmussen (trainer) and Ken and Sarah Ramsey (owners) – will have ample opportunities to seek year-end graded stakes glory or to uncork promising juveniles throughout the action-packed five-week stand. And, bettors are certain to be challenged by the competitive racing that typically pits the fastest and battle-tested horses against the fresh.
The 16th running of the $100,000-added Ack Ack Handicap (Grade III), a one-mile test of stamina and speed for 3-year-olds and up, headlines the opening day action and kicks off a 12-race stakes schedule – all graded stakes – cumulatively worth $1.925 million.
The anchor of the lucrative program is the 134th running of the $500,000 Clark Handicap (GII) for 3-year-olds and up at 1 1/8 miles on Friday, Nov. 28 – one of five major stakes races on Thanksgiving weekend.
Other highlights include the fourth annual “Stars of Tomorrow” programs, which are days entirely devoted to races for rising 2-year-old stars who could trail-blaze their way to next year’s Kentucky Derby and Kentucky Oaks. They have proved to be extremely popular with bettors and horsemen, and each program will feature a pair of stakes events. “Stars of Tomorrow I” on Saturday, Nov. 1 is topped by the open $100,000-added Iroquois (GIII) and $100,000-added Pocahontas for fillies both at one mile. “Stars of Tomorrow II” is a fitting end to the meet on Saturday, Nov. 29, and its co-features are the open $150,000-added Kentucky Jockey Club (GII) and Golden Rod (GII) for fillies. The distance for both races is 1 1/16 miles.
Five new voices to Churchill Downs will describe the action this fall with one sure to emerge as the new “Voice of the Kentucky Derby” next spring. The star-studded lineup was invited to take weekly turns in the announcer’s booth after the unexpected death of Luke Kruytbosch, who had called the races at the track since 1999. Calder Race Course’s Bobby Neuman is first up (Oct. 26-Nov. 2) and will be followed by Louisiana Downs’ Travis Stone (Nov. 5-9); Golden Gate’s Michael Wrona (Nov. 11-16); Gulfstream Park, Monmouth Park and Suffolk Downs’ Larry Collmus (Nov. 19-23); and England’s Mark Johnson (Nov. 26-29).
Two other noticeable changes will be the addition of first-of-its-kind enhancements to the overall racing product. Churchill Downs will become the first racetrack in the United States to distribute its signal in high definition, and more than 100 new HDTVs have been installed around the facility for customers to enjoy. Also, Churchill Downs plans to unveil a payout-pumping variation of the popular Super Hi-5 wager that is expected to feature the first interstate jackpot of its kind in horse racing. Further details will be announced later this week.
In addition to the spectacular racing and wagering opportunities, a plethora of special events, giveaways and promotions are sure to wet the appetite of customers.
The first 5,000 fans in attendance on opening day will receive a free 2009 Churchill Downs Wall Calendar, complete with race dates, major event listings and vivid and memorable images from the Kentucky Derby and around the track.
Also, children age 3-10 are invited to take part in the Junior Jockey Club Halloween Costume Parade on opening day. Churchill Downs’ mascot “Churchill Charlie” will lead the kids in a parade around the facility starting at 1 p.m. ET with designated stops around the track to collect holiday treats. Activities, including the decoration of Trick or Treat bags, will begin at 11:30 a.m. at the Junior Jockey Clubhouse near Gate 10. In addition, the Wizard of Oz Art Car, created by Louisville’s world-renowned artist Robbie Moriarty, will be on display.
Other Fall Meet promotional highlights include College Scholarship Day on Friday, Oct. 31 that will feature free admission to full-time college students and 10 drawings – one after each race – for $1,000 scholarships. Certain to be a hit will be the giveaways of three collectable hurricane glasses that salute popular Cajun jockeys Calvin Borel (Saturday, Nov. 8), Robby Albarado (Saturday, Nov. 15) and Kent Desormeaux (Saturday, Nov. 22). They’ll be available each day to the first 5,000 fans in attendance.
New Orleans-themed Friday Happy Hours will return for the Fall Meet (through Friday, Nov. 21) with $2 Budweiser Select, $2 hurricanes and $2 Fischer’s hot dogs to complement live jazz music on-track between 3-5 p.m.
Starting Oct. 29, racing fans can pit their handicapping skills against the best Louisville has to offer every Wednesday and Sunday in the popular twice-weekly “Who’s the Champ?” Handicapping Contest. For a $30 entry fee ($25 for Twin Spires Club members), participants will compete for weekly cash prizes and an invitation to the Nov. 23 final where the top two finishers will win coveted berths in the Daily Racing Form/National Thoroughbred Association National Handicapping Championship X slated for Jan. 23-24, 2009 in Las Vegas.
Those looking to hone or improve their handicapping skills, particularly with juveniles, are invited to attend a special Two-Year-Old Handicapping Seminar on Saturday, Nov. 1 (Stars of Tomorrow I Day). The price to attend the insightful 9-11:15 a.m. session is $25 and includes breakfast; a trip to the paddock to better understand a 2-year-old’s physical and behavioral characteristics; in-depth tips and analysis of that day’s program by Churchill’s John Asher, racing analyst Jill Byrne, Daily Racing Form’s Marty McGee and clocker John Nichols; a raffle for door prizes; and reserved seats in Sky Terrace.
Finally, Churchill Downs also will stage an important philanthropic event on Sunday, Nov. 16 billed as “Horses and Hope,” a new initiative created by Kentucky First Lady Jane Beshear with the Kentucky Cancer Program. The event will be centered around women who work in the barn areas at Kentucky racetracks and is designed to promote and provide breast cancer awareness, education, screening and treatment referral.
General admission to Churchill Downs is $3, but only $1 to senior citizens and members of the track’s Twin Spires Club. Children 12 and under are admitted free when accompanied by an adult. Parking is free in the Longfield Avenue lot (Gates 10 & 12) and $3 in all other lots. Valet parking is $5.
Free seating is available daily over a first-come, first-serve basis in sections 113-117 and 215-218. Premium reserved seats in the Matt Winn Dining Room, Box Seats, Millionaire’s Row, Jockey Club Suites and Skye Terrace can be purchased by calling (502) 636-4400.
Special ticket packages are also being offered for Sunday Brunch in Millionaire’s Row Six every Sunday; Thanksgiving Day; and the final two days of the meet in the Triple Crown Room. Also, there are special discounted rates for rental of luxurious Jockey Club Suites on Sundays for groups of 12 or more.
For more information, please call (502) 636-4400 or visit www.churchilldowns.com.
Churchill Downs, the world’s most legendary racetrack, has conducted Thoroughbred racing and presented America’s greatest race, the Kentucky Derby, continuously since 1875. Located in Louisville, the flagship racetrack of Churchill Downs Incorporated (NASDAQ Global Select Market: CHDN) also operates Trackside at Churchill Downs, which offers year-round simulcast wagering at the historic track. Churchill Downs will conduct the 135th running of the Kentucky Derby on May 2, 2009. The track’s 2008 Fall Meet runs from October 26 through November 29. Churchill Downs is scheduled to host the Breeders’ Cup World Championships for a record seventh time on November 5-6, 2010. Information about Churchill Downs can be found on the Internet at www.churchilldowns.com.
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