Creating Extraordinary Experiences

SPRING 2025 ISSUE

Top Chefs

Lucky Culinary Students Learn From Master Chefs During Kentucky Derby Week

With the pleasure of hospitality comes the stress of triple checking to make sure you have all the ingredients for your dishes and the kitchen prep and presentation are always ready for prime time. Can you imagine the intensity of hosting a dinner for 400,000 of your closest friends? These are the number of zeros for which the head of chefs at Churchill Downs must prepare every Derby season. Producing sumptuous dishes and Kentucky favorites throughout Derby Week is a year-round planning process that includes detailed planning, near-military precision in preparation and thousands of hands to help make it happen. 

Laura Ross

SPRING 2025

SPRING 2025 ISSUE

Life at the Track

From the Big Easy to the Derby City, Vice President of Racing Gary Palmisano Always Remained
Close to the Racetrack

Being the only child of a Thoroughbred racehorse trainer had its perks. Growing up in New Orleans, Louisiana, Gary Palmisano was born into the world of horse racing and loved every minute of it. He chose to spend his days at Fair Grounds Race Course, immersing himself in an environment that ultimately shaped his career.  

“I grew up on the backside. I spent almost every day after school and every weekend there. That’s where I wanted to be,” Palmisano recalls.  

Kelli Kinman

SPRING 2025

SPRING 2025 ISSUE

Derby of Your Dreams

The 2nd annual Official Kentucky Derby Style Guide aspires to immerse you in an ethereal fashion narrative that intertwines reality and reverie as Derby dreams take flight against the backdrop of the illustrious Churchill Downs. The Kentucky Derby is about creating memories that last a lifetime, that resonate deeply and evoke a visceral reaction. The first act celebrates the spectacle of the Kentucky Derby through the fashionable lens of a distinguished guest.

This fashion spread is but a snapshot of the visual symphony created for the Official Kentucky Derby Style Guide. To enjoy the complete “Derby of Your Dreams” visit KentuckyDerby.com and look for What to Wear.

View Online: https://www.churchilldownsincorporated.com/flipbook/2025_Spring/#page=59

View Full Style Guide: https://www.kentuckyderby.com/come-to-the-derby/visiting-information/what-to-wear/#flipbook-style-guide-2024/3/ 

FALL 2024 ISSUE

Pasion Por el Futbol

Churchill Downs Hosts Backstretch Recreation Men’s and Women’s Soccer Tournament, Wildly Popular Amongst the Backside Community

The backside of Churchill Downs Racetrack is more than just a stable area, it’s a community. Coming from regions all over the world, hotwalkers, grooms, exercise riders, trainers and their assistants care for the racehorses daily. For them, horse racing is more than just a sport, it’s a way of life. 

During the early morning hours, it’s all about the horses and getting them race-ready, caring for them like their own children. But as the sun sends its final rays soaring over the first turn, many join together for another passion they share—soccer. It is a way for them to make friends, build community and provide an outlet to take care of their mental and physical health.

FALL 2024 ISSUE

A GRANDstand Transformation

Churchill Downs’ Newest Renovation Project Will Continue to Honor Tradition While Elevating Experience

In the coming months, the existing grandstand at Churchill Downs will undergo a comprehensive metamorphosis featuring the construction of the Starting Gate Club and Pavilion—a space poised to capture the essence of this beloved venue. This renovation reflects a delicate balance between respect for the grandstand’s storied past and a forward-thinking vision that embraces modernity and innovation.

Tonya Abeln

Fall 2024

FALL 2024 ISSUE

Read Me a Story
Nonprofit I Would Rather Be Reading Partners With Churchill Downs to Bring Children to the Backside to Read to Horses

“They do get a sparkle in their eye. Most of the kids really enjoy it and they leave in a better place than when they came in.” 

Churchill Downs horse trainer Michelle Lovell knows a thing or two about the four-legged “kids” she trains daily to win on the track. In fact, it’s hard to know whether the sparkle she’s talking about is in the eyes of the visiting children or the horses. Actually, it’s probably both. 

Her horses are the beneficiaries of a unique partnership between the Louisville, Kentucky-based nonprofit, I Would Rather Be Reading and Churchill Downs Racetrack. 

Derby Review 2024 ISSUE

Kentucky Derby 150

Saturday, May 4 at Churchill Downs Racetrack

The excitement was bigger than ever for the world’s Most Exciting Two Minutes in Sports as 157,000 fans celebrated the 150th Kentucky Derby presented by Woodford Reserve. The epic thrills of the day culminated in Mystik Dan claiming the Garland of Roses at 18-1 odds for this year’s historic running as wagering records set an all-time high on the Kentucky Derby race, the Kentucky Derby Day program, and Kentucky Derby Week races. The win also marked an extraordinary weekend of racing for trainer Kenny McPeek and jockey Brian Hernandez Jr., who each scored victories in both the Kentucky Oaks and Kentucky Derby.  

Derby Review 2024

SPRING 2024 ISSUE

Quintessential Kentucky Derby Style
2024 Official Kentucky Derby Style Guide

This year’s Kentucky Derby brings heightened reverence for the annual festivities and attention to wardrobe detail is no exception. After all, the Run for the Roses does have a 150-year history for becoming the world’s most prestigious outdoor runway. To provide an atlas of attire for racing fans, the Churchill Downs team, along with Guest Editor Zanna Roberts Rassi, worked with treasured partners and official licensees as well as top designers from around the globe to curate the first ever official Style Guide for the 2024 Kentucky Derby. Mixing classic race day occasion wear with contemporary design, the guide honors decades of fashion inspiration by presenting a composite of heirloom elegance alongside today’s biggest trends.

Tonya Abeln

Spring 2024

Fall 2023 ISSUE

The Fresh Bloom of Influence and Inspiration

Wylie Caudill Brings His Signature Roses to the Official Art of the 150th Run for the Roses

Wylie Caudill’s journey into the world of art is a testament to the power of passion, perseverance and the powerfully transformative influence of social media. Initially harnessing his budding creativity as a chalk artist on the campus of Eastern Kentucky University (EKU), Wylie’s aim was to connect with people and establish a reputation for himself as he tried to find his place in this new phase of undergraduate life. Even with his vast imagination, he never envisioned this seemingly small and concentrated endeavor would ignite a deep love for large-scale artwork and pave the way for a successful career as a muralist.

Tonya Abeln

Fall 2023

Derby Review 2023 ISSUE

Kentucky Derby 149

Saturday, May 5 at Churchill Downs Racetrack

The 149th running of the Kentucky Derby presented by Woodford Reserve was held before a spirited and vibrant crowd of over 150,000 fans under mostly sunny skies on the first Saturday in May at Churchill Downs Racetrack. A top-rank grade I stakes race for 3-year-old Thoroughbreds with a $3 million purse, the Kentucky Derby remains America’s longest continually-held sporting event and is often revered as the “Most Exciting Two Minutes in Sports.” This year was no exception, as the exuberant crowd witnessed Mage triumph in America’s greatest race.

Derby Review 2023

Spring 2023 ISSUE

Paint the World Derby 

“It is not unusual for an artist to have such a specific point of view that the mere mention of their name evokes an immediate mental connection to their work. It is, however, a rare gift for an artist to completely embody that visual language in every facet of their life. Brazilian-born Romero Britto is the personification of his art in human form. The consistency of his artistic brand sparks familiarity and his larger-than-life personality is creative study in human connection. Both are iconic. Both illicit a dopamine effect of happiness. And both will be a major part of the 149 th Kentucky Derby”

Tonya Abeln

Spring 2023

FALL 2022 ISSUE

An Unbeatable View 

“A new, larger and more beautiful paddock will debut for the 150th Kentucky Derby, to be held the first Saturday in May, 2024. A big project, estimated at $185-200 million. But one whose cost is dwarfed by expectations of something special, built in the heart of the racetrack. ‘The new paddock will be transformational for the track,’ promises Churchill Downs Racetrack General Manager Mike Ziegler. ‘It turns the whole focal point upon entering the racetrack to a grand paddock. And the first thing you’ll see upon walking in the gate is the Twin Spires.”

Bill Doolittle

Fall 2022

SPRING 2022 ISSUE

The Sun Shines Bright: Aimee Griffith and the Official Art of the Kentucky Derby 

“The artist chosen for the official artwork of the Kentucky Derby always has a unique story, but Aimee Griffith’s journey as an artist is especially intriguing. Born and raised in Bardstown, Kentucky, with fond memories of Thunder Over Louisville as a kid, Aimee didn’t truly begin her work as an artist until recent years. Though she took an art class in college, it wasn’t until her family’s relocatoin to Austrailia in 2016 that Aimee really began to come into her own as an artist. What began as trips to the free museums with her kids eventually led to her own urge to pick up a paint brush herself.” 

FALL 2021 ISSUE

The Father of the Kentucky Derby: How Col. Matt Winn Established the Legacy of the Kentucky Derby

“It is nearly impossible to speak of the Kentucky Derby without mentioning the name of Matt Winn. Born on June 30, 1861, in Louisville, Kentucky, the son of Patrick Winn and Julia Flaherty Winn, Colonel Matt Winn – as he was popularly known due to his honorary title – has a story inextricably tied to the modern Kentucky Derby, serving on the management team of Churchill Downs from 1902 to 1949 and widely regarded as the father of the Derby as we know it today.” 

SPRING 2021 ISSUE

Overcoming Erasure:
Kentucky Derby Museum expands and enhances its ‘Black Heritage in Racing’ exhibition

“As with much of American history, the contributions of Black horsemen to the legacy of the Kentucky Derby, though integral, are largely unknown to far too many of us. This spring, the Kentucky Derby Museum is doubling down on its efforts to remedy that erasure. Since 1993, the museum has hosted a permanent ‘Black Heritage in Racing’ exhibit on the second floor. But now, the exhibit moves downstairs to a 930-square-foot space to expand the stories of legendary Black horsemen through artifacts, oral history interviews and artwork.”

Kellie Doligale

Spring 2021

2020 ISSUE

Racing’s Keystone:
A celebration of the 125th anniversary of the Twin Spires

“Every object and significant building of the first 20 years of the Downs and the Derby – with the exception of the racetrack itself, which hasn’t moved an inch in 146 years – have been modified or removed. One has to say the ‘modern’ life of the ancient Downs begins with that grandstand and its spires: the heart of the track that grew from there and a continuing heartbeat of its history.”

Bill Doolittle

2020

FALL 2019 ISSUE

Greatness in Motion:
Country House’s Derby 145 triumph

“It almost never is, but sometimes the exception confirms the rule: 2019 Kentucky Derby victor Country House looks like a horse that was born to win. With his fluid and sturdy movement, watching him run is a joy, all long strides and lean muscle. A glossy copper chestnut with a shock of white blazing down his forehead, this is what you picture when you close your eyes and envision ‘champion.’”

Kirsten Schofield

Fall 2019