Churchill Downs hosts homecoming-themed 'Downs After Dark'

Churchill Downs will be transformed into Louisville's

ultimate nighttime hot spot Saturday night as the historic Louisville, Kentucky,

racetrack presents another popular installment of "Downs After Dark."

Billed as "Homecoming Dance: A Night to Remember," the "Downs

After Dark" program is the centerpiece of closing weekend festivities as Churchill Downs

presents the final three days of racing in its new four-week September meet.

Friday's 10-race program, featuring the City's Best Happy

Hours! from 4-7 p.m. (EDT), will begin at 1:45 p.m. Saturday's

special 11-race evening event starts at 6 p.m. The first race for Sunday's

10-race finale, including Family Fun Day from 11:30 a.m. to

4 p.m., is 12:45 p.m.

Saturday's special nighttime racing and entertainment

extravaganza is sure to be "everything your Homecoming Dance should have been --

and more ..." Imagine yourself in a dance scene from your favorite high school

movie. Guests are encouraged to grab an outfit from their closet inspired by

their own high school experience or to wear their favorite homecoming

dance-style outfit. There'll even be a chance for someone to be crowned

Churchill Downs' Homecoming King or Queen prior to the 8TH race.

Entertainment in the spacious 30,000-square foot Plaza

adjacent to the Paddock -- typically the heartbeat of the "Downs After Dark"

party -- includes a Sounds Unlimited Productions DJ from 4-7:30 p.m. and a

performance by Radiotronic, which will bring the best music of the '80s, '90s

and today, from 8 p.m. until closing time at 11:30 p.m. Meanwhile, there also

will be music by The Wilson Brothers on the Clubhouse's fifth floor balcony and

a DJ at the Gate 17 entrance.

Other entertainment includes the return of the popular

text-to-win sweepstakes "Bet or No Bet." Four lucky

on-track patrons will face a tough decision: to place a $1,000 win bet on a

horse in the upcoming race or take a $100 Thornton's gift card. The promotion

will be held on the 6TH, 7TH, 9TH and 10TH races.

The featured drink of the night at select locations around

the facility will be "Sweet Home Apple Pie," a tasty concoction featuring el

Jimador tequila.

Admission gates will open at 4 p.m. and the first of 11

live races will begin at 6 p.m. The final live race will be 11:10 p.m. Cover

charge (general admission) to all "Downs After Dark" events is $10. Holders of

shareholders passes or horsemen licenses and children age 12 and under (when

accompanied by an adult) will be admitted free of charge. No one under the age

of 18 will be admitted to the track unless they are accompanied by a parent or

responsible adult.

Reserved seating is available. Outdoor third-floor box

seats are $20 and include general admission, a box seat in the third-floor

clubhouse and an official program. Tickets can be

purchased online. The indoor dining packages in Millionaires Row

($59.90 per person and includes a delectable buffet dinner, reserved seat and

official program) are virtually sold out.

The marquee entertainment event is coupled with stellar

racing action. Fort Larned is preparing for a defense of his Breeders' Cup Classic

title with a run in the inaugural $175,000 Homecoming Classic, a 1

1/8-mile test for three-year-olds and up that is the most lucrative race of the

September meet. One race later, a competitive field of nine sophomores will

contest the 36th running of the Grade 3, $100,000 Jefferson Cup at one

mile on the Matt Winn Turf Course.

The Homecoming Classic and Jefferson Cup will run as the 7TH (9:05 p.m.) and 8TH (9:39 p.m.)

races, respectively. The Jefferson will be the first

leg of a $100,000 guaranteed Late Pick 4 pool that covers races 8-11. Bettors

are challenged to pick four consecutive winners in the thought-provoking

sequence of races that feature competitive fields of nine, 10, 12 and 10

entrants.

Saturday's weather will be ideal. The National Weather

Service forecast for Louisville calls for sunny skies with a high near 84

degrees and a low around 64. Sunset will be 7:30 p.m., which follows the 4TH race.

Closing week kicks off Friday at 1:45 p.m. with the final

City's Best Happy Hours! of the September meet with drink specials ($2 Budweiser

and Bud Lights and $3 Stella Artois) and food trucks (Get It On a Bun at Booty's

Diner and The Traveling Kitchen) in the Plaza from 4-7 p.m. Live music by

Kudmani, who perform cover songs from the '60s, '70s, '80s, '90s and today, will

begin on the Plaza stage at 3 p.m.

Sunday's closing day card will be complemented by Family

Fun Days. The 10-race program, which begins at 12:45 p.m.,

will showcase family-focused activities on the Plaza Balcony throughout the day

from 11:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Kids 12 and younger are invited to enjoy games,

crafts, visits from the popular mascot Churchill Charlie and a special closing

day treat: the Honey Hill Farms Mobile Petting Zoo and Pony Rides in the Plaza

until 3:30 p.m. Kids can throw on jockey silks and ride a miniature horse.

The

petting zoo will include animals such as rabbits, chickens, ducks, sheep, goats,

alpacas and a miniature horse and donkey. Also, Kona Ice of Louisville will be

on hand to serve premium tropical-shaved ice treats, and Cookies and Canvas will

give children the opportunity to paint while enjoying a tasty treat.

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