Churchill Downs on-site ticket office now open

Churchill Downs has opened its on-site ticket office for convenient walk-up

purchase of tickets for the upcoming April 28-July 1 Spring Meet that include

general admission tickets to the Kentucky Derby and Kentucky Oaks; a limited

number of tickets for seating in Section 125 that include on-site hospitality in

the Infield Club on either Derby or Oaks Day; and the third annual "Taste of

Derby" party on Thursday, May 3.

The on-track box office at Churchill Downs is located at the Gate 1 entrance

off Central Avenue, adjacent to the Kentucky Derby Museum. It was open for the

first time in 2012 on Monday and will open again this week from 10 a.m. to 4

p.m. (EDT) on Wednesday and Friday. The on-site box office will operate next

week on a Monday-through-Saturday schedule that includes Monday-Friday hours of

10 a.m.-4 p.m. and special hours on Saturday, April 28 -- the date of the Spring

Meet's "Opening Night" -- of noon-to-9 p.m.

During Kentucky Derby and Oaks Week, the on-track box office will be open

from Monday, April 23, to Thursday, April 25, with daily hours of 11 a.m. to 6

p.m.

The price of general admission to the Kentucky Derby and Kentucky Oaks

remains unchanged since 2001 for tickets purchased in advance, but walk-up

tickets on the respective days of those events will cost more.

The general admission price for the Kentucky Derby on Saturday, May 5 will

remain at $40 for tickets purchased in advance either through the on-track box

office or the online box office at

www.ChurchillDowns.com/tickets. Kentucky Oaks general admission will remain

at $25 for advance purchase either through the online box office or at Gate 1. A

special low convenience fee of $1 will be assessed on each advance general

admission ticket purchased at either location. The convenience fee for reserved

seating for both events is $5 per ticket.

The walk-up price for a general admission ticket to the Kentucky Derby on

Saturday, May 5, will be $50, an increase of $10 from 2011, and general

admission tickets to the Kentucky Oaks purchased at any of the track's gates on

Friday, May 4, will be $30, an increase of $5 from last year.

Fans still looking for a seat at Churchill Downs for the Kentucky Derby or

Oaks rather than the "standing room only" status provided by general admission

tickets can, for a limited time, purchase some of the limited seating remaining

in Section 125, which includes access to the Infield Club. That ticket also

includes food served in the Infield Club and is now available as a single-day

Oaks or Derby option.  Those seats are available for purchase through April

20 at either the on-site box office or through

www.ChurchillDowns.com/tickets.

The Section 125 tickets had previously been available for purchase only in a

two-day, Oaks-Derby package.

The schedule of on-track events with tickets available for purchase either at

Churchill Downs or online is headed by the "Opening Night" program that launches

both the 39-day racing session including Kentucky Derby Week. The first "Opening

Night" attracted 38,142 fans a year ago -- a record night racing crowd and the

largest attendance in track history for a racing session other than a Kentucky

Derby, Kentucky Oaks or a visit by the Breeders' Cup. The $200,000 The Cliff's

Edge Derby Trial, a Grade 3 event that is the final major prep for the Kentucky

Derby, is the featured racing attraction.

Tickets can still be purchased at either the on-track box office or online

for the Taste of Derby party, an exciting addition to Kentucky Derby tradition

that returns for its third year on Thursday, May 3 at Louisville Executive

Aviation at Bowman Field. Award-winning chefs and racing personalities join

Derby and Oaks fans at this great event that will benefit Blessings in a

Backpack, Taste of Derby's official charity partner. Information on this

incredible evening is available online at

www.kentuckyderby.com/tasteofderby.

Three "Downs After Dark" night racing events are scheduled during the second

half of the meet and, for the first time, all will be conducted on Saturday

evenings and include stakes races among their highlights. The 2012 "Downs After

Dark" dates are: