Churchill presents nearly $185,000 in charitable donations

Churchill Downs Racetrack has presented checks totaling nearly $185,000 to

fundraising partners who joined the track in the celebrations of its 138th

running of the Kentucky Oaks on Friday, May 4, and the third annual "Taste of

Derby" party the day before.

Donation checks were presented to representatives of Stand Up to Cancer

(SU2C), Horses and Hope and Blessings in a Backpack in a winner's circle

ceremony on Saturday during the track's final "Downs After Dark" racing program.

The largest check of $112,552 was presented to Stand Up to Cancer, which

joined Churchill Downs and the Kentucky Oaks for the first time as a fundraising

partner as the event continued its "Ladies First" theme and its focus on women's

health issues. SU2C received $1 for every person who passed through the

admission gates for the Kentucky Oaks, which attracted a crowd of 112,552 -- the

third-largest attendance figure in the race's history.

With the 2012 donation to SU2C, Churchill Downs has donated more than

$532,000 to cancer research through its women's health Kentucky Oaks

partnerships over the past four years.

Accepting the donation to Stand Up to Cancer was Ingrid A. Mayer, MD, the

Director of Clinical Care for the Breast Cancer Program at the Vanderbilt-Ingram

Cancer Center and Assistant Professor of Medicine at Vanderbilt University. Dr.

Mayer is a member of SU2C's "Dream Team" of cancer researchers.

The Stand Up To Cancer initiative raises funds to accelerate groundbreaking

cancer research that will deliver new therapies to patients quickly and save

lives through a collaborative effort throughout the cancer research community.

The organization's goal in accelerating cancer research is to help transform the

disease from one that takes far too many lives to a disease that people survive.

Information is available online at

www.StandUp2Cancer.org.

A donation of $30,000 was presented to Horses & Hope, the initiative launched

in 2008 by Kentucky First Lady Jane Beshear that provides breast cancer

education, outreach and screenings to workers at racetracks and farms in

Kentucky's horse industry. The track donated $1 to Horses & Hope from the

on-track sale of each Oaks Lily, the signature drink of the Kentucky Oaks. With

this year's donation, Churchill Downs has donated $120,000 to Horses & Hope over

the past four years.

The check for the $30,000 donation to Horses & Hope was accepted by Connie

Sorrell, Director of the Kentucky Cancer Program, and Patricia "P.J." Cooksey

and Mary Midkiff, who are members of the First Lady's Horses & Hope "Pink Team."

Cooksey, a breast cancer survivor, is the all-time leading female rider at

Churchill Downs. More information on Horses & Hope can be found on the Web at

www.HorsesandHope.org.

Blessings in a Backpack, a first-time fundraising partner with the annual

Kentucky Derby Week "Taste of Derby" party, was presented with a donation of

$42,255. "Taste of Derby" became a part of Kentucky Derby tradition with its

debut in 2010 and this year attracted approximately 1,000 fans to its 2012

renewal at the Louisville Executive Aviation Hangar at Bowman Field. The event

brings acclaimed chefs and racing celebrities from horse racing destination

cities across the nation for a celebration of the food, music, fashion,

celebrity and fun that are key parts of the Kentucky Derby experience.

Blessings in a Backpack, which was founded in Louisville, has grown rapidly

into a national organization committed to "Feeding the Future of America." The

organization works with partners around the country to ensure impoverished

elementary school students are fed during weekends throughout the school year.

Information on Blessings in a Backpack is available at the organization's Web

site at

www.blessingsinabackpack.org. The donation for Blessings in a Backpack was

accepted by Nikki Grizzle, the organization's Director of Marketing and Public

Relations.

With the check presented to Blessings in a Backpack, "Taste of Derby" has

donated more than $163,000 to organizations that combat hunger over its

three-year history.

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