Flanery named new Churchill Downs president

Churchill Downs Inc. (CDI) announced Monday that T. Kevin Flanery has been

named the 13th track president of Churchill Downs, home of the Kentucky Derby

(G1).

Flanery will report to Bill Carstanjen, chief operating officer of CDI, and

will remain a company senior vice president.

Flanery joined CDI in December 2005 as vice president of national public

affairs, and was named senior vice president of national public affairs and

communications in March 2008. While leading the company's legislative and

communications initiatives, Flanery headed the successful 2008 campaign to

permit Calder Race Course, the company's racetrack in Miami, to operate slot

machines.

"Kevin's diverse background in business, government and law has been an asset

in his different roles with CDI," said Robert L. Evans, president and chief

executive officer of CDI. "His ability to work with our business partners and

other constituencies will be invaluable as we create exciting new racing events

for our loyal customers while attracting new fans to our sport."

"The entire racetrack team at Churchill Downs is looking forward to working

with Kevin," Carstanjen said. "Over the three years he's spent in the industry,

he's proven that he can blend all that's great about our history and tradition

with the innovation and change necessary to drive racing into the future."

"The opportunity to lead this nation's most storied racetrack and the home of

the Kentucky Derby is a special honor, and I'm very grateful for this

opportunity," Flanery said. "Having grown up in the surrounding neighborhood, I

have an appreciation for what this track means to Louisville and to the state of

Kentucky. Preserving the traditions of the past while creating a new and

exciting future for racing is a challenge I look forward to tackling, with the

help and input of our horsemen, neighbors and customers."

Before joining CDI, Flanery held a number of key positions in government and

private business, including secretary of the Kentucky Finance and Administration

Cabinet and president of Hagan Properties, a real estate development company

based in Louisville, Kentucky. A 43-year-old native of Louisville, Flanery has

been active in a variety of community activities and currently serves on the

board of trustees of Norton Healthcare and the board of directors of St. Francis

De Sales High School. He holds a bachelors of arts degree in psychology from Bellarmine University and a juris doctor degree from the University of Kentucky

College of Law, where he was inducted into the Order of the Coif.

CDI will conduct a search to fill Flanery's prior roles as head of national

public affairs and communications.