Churchill Downs concludes with many 'firsts'

Churchill Downs has been the scene of many historic races and

special moments since its debut meet in 1875, but few of the track's racing

meets held each year since have seen as many historic "firsts" -- including an

unusual blast from Mother Nature -- as the 2011 Spring Meet concluded its 38-day

run with an Independence Day program on Monday.

The venerable track's record books underwent serious adjustment

following a record-smashing 137th running of the $2 million Kentucky Derby (G1)

on Saturday, May 7 that established a new standard for attendance at America's

greatest race; a special Spring Meet "Opening Night" under the track's permanent

lights set an attendance mark of its own; a continuation of the success of the

special "Downs After Dark" night racing programs; and the remarkable recovery by

the track and its horsemen from a rare tornado that blasted sections of its

stable area on June 22.

Spring Meet racing highlights included first-of-their-kind wins

by Team Valor International's Animal Kingdom (Leroidesanimaux [Brz]) in the

Kentucky Derby and William Farish Jr.'s Pool Play (Silver Deputy) in the Stephen

Foster H. (G1), with each horse making history by becoming the first  to

win their respective races in their first runs over traditional dirt; a victory

by Peachtree Stable's Plum Pretty (Medaglia d'Oro) in the richest running of the

$1 million Kentucky Oaks (G1); a remarkable and ongoing streak of five

consecutive victories in graded stakes races by horses trained by Ken McPeek; a

glimpse at racing's future stars in victories by Barry L. King's Flashy Lassie

(Flashy Bull) in the Debutante (G3) for two-year-old fillies and Stoneway Farm's

Exfactor (Exchange Rate) in the Bashford Manor (G3); and the first race for

horses of the Arabian breed ever conducted beneath the track's venerable Twin

Spires.

"This Spring Meet will long be memorable for milestones and

memories highlighted by Derby Day attendance that surpassed a record that had

had been untouched for nearly 40 years, but the response by our community, our

horsemen and our team in the aftermath of the June 22 tornado was an unexpected

example of what makes Churchill Downs so very special," said Kevin Flanery,

president of Churchill Downs. "In the minutes and hours after the unexpected

storm, people from every area of this track joined together to ensure the safety

and well-being of every horse and individual touched by the storm. The support

offered by the many public service agencies, headed by the Louisville Fire

Department, and people throughout our industry and community was incredibly

gratifying. 

"In terms of business, it was a very strong meet kicked off by

the first 'Opening Night' celebration for the Spring Meet and Derby Week -- a

night so successful it became an instant part of Kentucky Derby tradition. The

continued strength and growth of the Kentucky Derby and Oaks, with the growing

'Taste of Derby' celebration and the continuing Kentucky Oaks fundraising

partnership with Susan G. Komen for the Cure, is tremendously exciting. And

'Downs After Dark' night racing continues to be one of our industry's shining

success stories. Churchill Downs continues to operate in competitive business

climate and the playing field on which we face our top competitors is far from

level, but our team continues to strive for innovative ways to attract fans and

horses in an effort to keep our track at the forefront of American racing now

and in the future."

The brightest of the Spring Meet's highlights came, as usual, on

the first Saturday in May when 164,858 fans witnessed the Kentucky Derby victory

by Animal Kingdom. The attendance figure surpassed the previous standard of

163,628 established at the Centennial Derby in 1974. The race provided the first

victories in America's greatest race for owner/breeder Team Valor International,

trainer H. Graham Motion and jockey John Velazquez.

Wagering at Churchill Downs on the full Kentucky Derby Day race

card, was $23.4 million, an increase of 9.0 percent over 2010's on-track

wagering total of $21.5 million. On-track wagering on the Derby race was $11.5

million, an increase of 4.2 percent over the $11.1 million wagered one year

earlier.

All-sources wagering on the Kentucky Derby card was $165.2

million, the third-highest in Derby history and an increase of 1.5 percent over

the prior year's $162.7 million. All-sources handle on the Derby race itself as

$112.0 million, flat with 2010's $112.7 million.

The spectacular Kentucky Derby Day was preceded by another

successful renewal of the Kentucky Oaks, which attracted a crowd of 110,122, the

third-largest in history, that watched Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert earn his

second victory in America's premier race for three-year-old fillies with Plum

Pretty. Owner Peachtree Stable, an Atlanta-based partnership, and jockey Martin

Garcia earned their first Oaks wins.

On-track Kentucky Oaks guests, many adorned in pink for the

Oaks' third annual "Pink Out" to support breast cancer awareness, wagered $12.1

million on the full Oaks Day race card, which was an increase of 2.1 percent

over 2010's on-track total of $11.9 million. On-track wagering on the Oaks race

was $3.0 million, an increase of 7.4 percent over the $2.8 million wagered one

year earlier. All-sources wagering on the Kentucky Oaks card set a record of

$37.5 million, an increase of 4.2 percent over the prior year's 36.0 million.

All-sources handle on the Oaks race itself was $11.4 million, up 8.2 percent

over 2010's $10.6 million.

This spring's Kentucky Derby and Oaks Week activities again

provided a significant financial boost to national and local charities.

The third year of the Kentucky Oaks partnership with Susan G.

Komen for the Cure raised $110,122 for the work of the world's largest breast

cancer outreach and funding organization. Since the start of the partnership

with Komen for the Cure in 2009, $328,468 has been raised for breast cancer

research.

Another $30,000 was generated on Oaks Day for Horses and Hope,

the breast cancer outreach initiative in Kentucky's horse industry headed by

First Lady Jane Beshear that has now received $90,000 over three years through

its Oaks fundraising partnership. And "Taste of Derby," the Derby Week

celebration of racing life and food from racing cities held for the second

consecutive year at the Mellwood Arts Center, generated $20,000 for Dare to

Care, a Louisville food bank that has served needy residents since 1971.

The first "Opening Night" under Churchill Downs' permanent

lights to kick off the Spring Meet and Derby Week proved an immediate and

rousing success when 38,142 fans flocked to the track on Saturday, April 30. The

attendance was the highest in Churchill Downs' three years of night racing and

set an attendance record for a non-Kentucky Derby, Kentucky Oaks or Breeders'

Cup World Championships racing program.

"Downs After Dark" racing on the meet's final three Friday

evening programs provided strong evidence that the region continues to embrace

the unique night racing experience presented by Churchill Downs. The first

"Downs After Dark" session of 2011 on June 17 attracted 23,332, and attendance

grew to 25,523 on June 24.  The meet's final "Downs After Dark" program on

July 1 was its largest at 27,787.

Churchill Downs continued to offer horses and patrons strong and

competitive fields of horses in each age and gender division. There were 3,265

starters in the meet's 408 races for an average of 7.99 starters per race, which

was an increase from the 2010 average of 7.75 horses in 439 races during a

42-day Spring Meet.

The strength of wagering over Kentucky Derby and Kentucky Oaks

weekend contributed to a pair of purse increases implemented during the meet.

The first was a 10 percent increase in overnight purses effective on Thursday

June 9. That increase was followed by a 15 jump in overnight purses for the

final three weeks of the meet that went into effect on June 16. Racing on

Thursday, June 23 was cancelled because of tornado damage, but eight of that

day's scheduled nine races were made up during the meet's closing weekend.

In the meet's "human races," jockey Julien Leparoux rode a

torrid hot streak over the meet's final three weeks to erase a large lead held

by Corey Lanerie to earn the spring meet riding title. It was the eighth

Churchill Downs riding crown for the 27-year-old Leparoux and his fourth Spring

Meet title for the 27-year-old native of Senlis, France. The final margin was

53-47 for Leparoux, who also collected his 500th career victory at Churchill

Downs during the meet's final weekend, becoming just the 10th rider to achieve

that milestone.

Shaun Bridgmohan finished third in the jockey race with 36 wins

and 2010 spring meet win leader Calvin Borel was next with 33.

Although McPeek fell short in his bid a title, he ended the meet

on one of the most notable streaks in Churchill Downs history. McPeek has

saddled the winner in his last five graded stakes races at the track, a streak

that will carry over to the fall meet that begins October 30. His winners

included the Dogwood (G3) with Salty Strike (Smart Strike), the Aristides (G3)

with Noble's Promise (Cuvee), the Mint Julep H. (G3) with My Baby Baby

(Bernstein), the Matt Winn (G3) with Scotus (Successful Appeal) and the Regret

(G3) with Bizzy Caroline (Afleet Alex).

The victory by the appropriately-named Windswept in the meet's

last race was a fitting finale for trainer Steve Margolis, whose barn 23 was the

structure most severely damaged by the tornado 2 1/2 weeks earlier. Margolis

ended the meet with 11 wins, good for seventh in the overall standings.

While familiar faces swept the leading rider and trainer titles,

newcomer Midwest Thoroughbreds Inc., owned by Richard and Karen Papiese, sent

out eight winners to collect its first "leading owner" title at Churchill Downs.

Seventeen-time leading owners Ken and Sarah Ramsey tied with Jay Em Ess Stable

of Mace and Samantha Siegel for the runner-up spot with six wins, while the

partnership of trainer Merrill Scherer, Dan Lynch and Ken Sentel won five races.

Along with the record attendance for the Kentucky Derby and the

Spring Meet "Opening Night" celebration, and the first-on-dirt wins in the Derby

by Animal Kingdom and the Stephen Foster, other Spring Meet "firsts" in the meet

included Wise Dan (Wiseman's Ferry) winning the closing-day feature, the

Firecracker H. (G2) at a mile on turf, in his first attempt on grass in 10

career starts; and T M Fred Texas becoming the first winner of an Arabian race

at Churchill Downs when capturing the Grade 1 President of the United Arab

Emirates Cup by 9 1/4 lengths on June 18.