Churchill Downs Incorporated Announces Development Plans for Marshall Yards Racing & Gaming in Calvert City, Kentucky
Creating Extraordinary Experiences
Racing | Online Wagering | Gaming
Runnings of the
Kentucky Derby
Most profitable horse race wagering platform
Industry-leading regional casinos and HRM/racing properties
Community nonprofits supported annually
The Kentucky Derby is just the beginning…
It all started with an inaugural race meet in 1875 that featured two flagship horse races: the Kentucky Oaks and the Kentucky Derby. These iconic races are still run beneath the Twin Spires 150 years later, making the Derby the longest continually-held annual sporting event in the United States. Today, Derby Week is preceded by a month of events celebrating the Kentucky Derby and helps to bring over $400 million to the local economy each year.
Headquartered in Louisville, Kentucky, Churchill Downs Incorporated has expanded through the development of live and historical racing entertainment venues, the growth of the TwinSpires horse racing online wagering business and the operation and development of regional casino gaming properties.
About Churchill Downs Incorporated
Live and Historical Racing
TwinSpires
Gaming
Coming Soon
Company Segments
Live and Historical Racing
The Live and Historical Racing segment includes pari-mutuel racing entertainment venues. Kentucky properties include the legendary Churchill Downs Racetrack, home of the Kentucky Derby which conducts live Thoroughbred racing during Spring, September and Fall Meets. Derby City Gaming & Hotel and Derby City Gaming Downtown are historical racing machine (“HRM”) entertainment venues that operate under the Churchill Downs pari-mutuel racing license in Louisville. Oak Grove Racing, Gaming & Hotel offers live harness racing and HRMs in Oak Grove. Turfway Park Racing & Gaming is a live winter Thoroughbred racetrack and HRM entertainment venue in Florence with ancillary HRM facility Newport Racing & Gaming in Newport. Ellis Park Racing & Gaming is a live summer Thoroughbred racetrack and HRM venue in Henderson. In Virginia, the segment includes Colonial Downs Racetrack in New Kent, as well as seven Rosie’s Gaming Emporium HRM facilities located in Collinsville, Dumfries, Emporia, Hampton, New Kent, Richmond and Vinton.
Company Segments
TwinSpires
The TwinSpires segment is comprised of the advanced deposit wagering (“ADW”) business, United Tote and historical horse racing technology leader, Exacta. Headquartered in Louisville, Kentucky, TwinSpires is one of the largest and most profitable online wagering platforms for horse racing in the U.S.
Company Segments
Gaming
The Gaming segment includes Churchill Downs Incorporated’s casino properties and associated racetrack or jai alai facilities that support the casino license. CDI’s regional gaming portfolio consists of 12 properties located in 11 states including: Calder Casino in Miami Gardens, Florida; del Lago Resort & Casino in Waterloo, New York; Fair Grounds Race Course in New Orleans, Louisiana; Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Sioux City, Iowa; Harlow’s Casino Resort & Spa in Greenville, Mississippi; Miami Valley Gaming in Lebanon, Ohio; Ocean Downs Casino in Berlin, Maryland; Oxford Casino Hotel in Oxford, Maine; Presque Isle Downs & Casino in Erie, Pennsylvania; Rivers Casino in Des Plaines, Illinois; Riverwalk Casino Hotel in Vicksburg, Mississippi; Terre Haute Casino Resort in Terre Haute, Indiana.
Company Segments
Coming Soon
Owensboro Racing and Gaming is a $100 Million gaming entertainment venue and will be located at the corner of US Highway 60 and Wrights Landing Road in eastern Daviess County, KY. Expected to open in the first quarter of 2025, the property will operate as an annex of Ellis Park Racing & Gaming in Henderson, KY and support Ellis Park’s traditional summer race meet. The brand-new entertainment venue will feature 600 state-of-the-art historical racing machines, retail sportsbook, simulcast wagering facility and multiple food and beverage offerings.
Marshall Yards Racing & Gaming is CDI’s eighth historical horse racing entertainment venue in Kentucky, is expected to open in early 2026 and will be located on an approximately 4.5-acre site at the intersection of I-69 and I-24 in the Calvert City area. Marshall Yards will feature up to 240 state-of-the-art historical racing machines (“HRMs”), a sports bar and a retail sportsbook, simulcast wagering and food and beverage offerings. The projected investment for the development is $40 to $50 million and it will operate as an annex of Oak Grove Racing, Gaming & Hotel.
Our Properties
Churchill Downs Incorporated proudly oversees 29 industry-leading regional casinos and HRM/racing properties across 14 states.
View AllFALL 2024 ISSUE
Cultivating CuriosityThe Kentucky Derby Museum Begins Meaningful Partnership With Churchill Downs to Bring Equine Education to Students
The Kentucky Derby Museum and Churchill Downs have been great neighbors and worked together on several projects over the last 40 years to share the joy of the Kentucky Derby with guests from all over the world. With their shared love of education, they have recently launched a meaningful partnership that will impact thousands of Kentucky children over the next three years. The partnership will help cover the cost of the outreach programs and field trips as well as spreading the mission of the Museum well beyond Jefferson County. “We love that it’s Derby every day at the museum. So, we do everything we can to make field trips, outreach and educational programming more accessible to students of all ages and in all corners of Kentucky. We’re proud to partner with Churchill Downs to further these educational programs that our educators are so passionate about,” says Patrick Armstrong, KDM President & CEO.
Kelli Kinman
Fall 2024
FALL 2024 ISSUE
Pasion Por el FutbolChurchill 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.
Rebecca Richart
Fall 2024
FALL 2024 ISSUE
A GRANDstand TransformationChurchill 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.
Laura Ross
Fall 2024
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.”
Tony Lewis
Spring 2022
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.”
Chris Goodlett
Fall 2021
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