Churchill Downs to Construct New Infield Gate and Complete Colonnade

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (October 31, 2018) – Churchill Downs Racetrack (“Churchill Downs”), one of the world’s most historic sports and entertainment venues, will create an improved infield guest entry experience for the 2019 Kentucky Derby and beyond with a $4.4 million capital investment through the construction of a new Infield Gate at the corner of 4th Street and Central Avenue. Churchill Downs will also spend $3.9 million to complete the colonnade wall from the Paddock Gate to the Clubhouse Gate. Approximately 25% of the total $8.3 million capital investments will be spent in 2018, with the remainder spent before the Kentucky Derby in 2019.

Infield Gate

This new entrance will significantly improve pedestrian flow for general admission ticket holders who want to watch the races from the infield which boasts the biggest Kentucky Derby and Kentucky Oaks parties during the first weekend in May. The existing brick wall along Central Avenue will be extended to meet a new concaved corner wall and marquee sign that will greet visitors approaching the racetrack via Central Avenue. In addition, this entrance will feature eight ticket sales windows and 30 turnstiles to improve the customer experience. Additional space also has been allotted for security screenings to ensure people move through the entry process quickly and safely.

Colonnade

In October 2017, we announced a $32 million project to improve the parking and transportation experience which included a colonnade wall from the Executive Gate to the enlarged Paddock Gate entrance. This new project will extend the colonnade wall from the Paddock Gate to the Clubhouse Gate. The colonnade wall will create a uniform perimeter as it continues the architecture established with last year’s project. Additionally, a portion of the colonnade will conceal back-of-house operations from the customer’s view. Construction on the new Infield Gate and extension of the Colonnade Wall will begin after the Nov. 2-3 Breeders’ Cup World Championships and be completed prior to the 2019 Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve, which will be staged for the 145th consecutive year on Saturday, May 4. Populous is the architect and Calhoun Construction Services will serve as the project manager. Every fall, Churchill Downs sells the following year’s Kentucky Derby and Kentucky Oaks via an online sale. Guests may sign-up to be invited to the 2019 Kentucky Derby online sale to receive ticket and pricing information at https://www.kentuckyderby.com/tickets/2019. Registration for the 2019 online sale will end Sunday, Nov. 4. Tickets for the 2018 Fall Meet can be purchased online at www.ChurchillDowns.com/Tickets or by calling (502) 636-4400. For parking information, please visit: https://www.churchilldowns.com/visit/info/parking.


About Churchill Downs Incorporated

Churchill Downs Incorporated is an industry-leading racing, online wagering and gaming entertainment company anchored by our iconic flagship event – The Kentucky Derby. We own and operate Derby City Gaming, a historical racing machine facility in Louisville, Kentucky. We also own and operate the largest online horse racing wagering platform in the U.S., TwinSpires.com, and we operate sports betting and iGaming through our BetAmerica platform in multiple states. We are also a leader in brick-and-mortar casino gaming with approximately 11,000 slot machines and video lottery terminals and 200 table games in eight states. Additional information about CDI can be found online at www.churchilldownsincorporated.com.

About Churchill Downs Racetrack

Churchill Downs, the world’s most legendary racetrack, has conducted Thoroughbred racing and presented America’s greatest race, the Kentucky Derby, continuously since 1875. Located in Louisville, the flagship racetrack of Churchill Downs Incorporated (Nasdaq: CHDN) offers year-round simulcast wagering at the historic track. Churchill Downs will conduct the 145th running of the Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve on May 4, 2019. The track’s 2018 Fall Meet will run from Oct. 28-Nov. 25. An eight-time host to the Breeders’ Cup World Championships, Churchill Downs will again be the site of that event on Nov. 2-3, 2018. Information is available at www.ChurchillDowns.com.

Information set forth in this news release contains various “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 (the “Act”), which provides certain “safe harbor” provisions. All forward-looking statements made in this news release are made pursuant to the Act. Forward-looking statements are typically identified by the use of terms such as “anticipate,” “believe,” “could,” “estimate,” “expect,” “intend,” “may,” “might,” “plan,” “predict,” “project,” “seek,” “should,” “will,” and similar words, although some forward-looking statements are expressed differently.

Although we believe that the expectations reflected in such forward-looking statements are reasonable, we can give no assurance that such expectations will prove to be correct. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from expectations include the following: the effect of economic conditions on our consumers’ confidence and discretionary spending or our access to credit; additional or increased taxes and fees; public perceptions or lack of confidence in the integrity of our business or any deterioration in our reputation; loss of key or highly skilled personnel; restrictions in our debt facilities limiting our flexibility to operate our business; general risks related to real estate ownership, including fluctuations in market values and environmental regulations; catastrophic events and system failures disrupting our operations; online security risk, including cyber-security breaches; inability to recover under our insurance policies for damages sustained at our properties in the event of inclement weather and casualty events; increases in insurance costs and inability to obtain similar insurance coverage in the future; inability to identify and complete acquisition, expansion or divestiture projects, on time, on budget or as planned; difficulty in integrating recent or future acquisitions into our operations; costs and uncertainties relating to the development of new venues and expansion of existing facilities; risks associated with equity investments, strategic alliances and other third-party agreements; inability to respond to rapid technological changes in a timely manner; inadvertent infringement of the intellectual property of others; inability to protect our own intellectual property rights; payment-related risks, such as risk associated with fraudulent credit card and debit card use; compliance with the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act or applicable money-laundering regulations; risks related to pending or future legal proceedings and other actions; inability to negotiate agreements with industry constituents, including horsemen and other racetracks; work stoppages and labor issues; changes in consumer preferences with respect to Churchill Downs Racetrack and the Kentucky Derby; personal injury litigation related to injuries occurring at our racetracks; weather and other conditions affecting our ability to conduct live racing; the occurrence of extraordinary events, such as terrorist attacks and public health threats, including the ongoing impact of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19 virus); changes in the regulatory environment of our racing operations; increased competition in the horseracing business; difficulty in attracting a sufficient number of horses and trainers for full field horseraces; our inability to utilize and provide totalizator services; changes in regulatory environment of our online horseracing business; number of people wagering on live horse races; increase in competition in our online horseracing; uncertainty and changes in the legal landscape relating to our online wagering business; continued legalization of online sports betting and iGaming in the United States and our ability to predict and capitalize on any such legalization; inability to expand our sports betting operations and effectively compete; failure to manage risks associated with sports betting; failure to comply with laws requiring us to block access to certain individuals could result in penalties or impairment with respect to our mobile and online wagering products; increased competition in our casino business; changes in regulatory environment of our casino business; and concentration and evolution of slot machine manufacturing and other technology conditions that could impose additional costs; and inability to collect gaming receivables from the customers to whom we extend credit.