The 145th Running of the Longines Kentucky Oaks Sets All-time Wagering Record as Serengeti Empress Claims the Lillies

LOUISVILLE, Ky., May 03, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Wagering on Friday’s 145th running of the $1.25 million Longines Kentucky Oaks (Grade I) reached record levels at Churchill Downs Racetrack as Serengeti Empress captured the race before a crowd of 105,719 that braved early morning rain. Attendance decreased 7% compared to last year which had more favorable weather conditions. This follows a record-breaking Thursday (“Thurby”) crowd of 48,212.

Wagering from all-sources was the highest all-time on both the Kentucky Oaks program and on the Kentucky Oaks race.

Wagering from all-sources on the full Kentucky Oaks Day race card totaled $60.2 million, an 8% increase over the previous wagering record total of $55.8 million in 2018. All-sources wagering on the Kentucky Oaks race rose 10% to $19.4 million from the previous Oaks race record total of $17.5 million in 2018.

TRACK PRESIDENT COMMENTARY

“Congratulations to the connections of Serengeti Empress and special thanks to all of the horse owners, trainers and jockeys who participated in today’s races,” said Kevin Flanery, President of Churchill Downs Racetrack. “Today’s record handle shows that the Kentucky Oaks has established itself as one of the world’s most popular events.”

“Our guests were able to benefit from the most recent improvements to the facility including the new Starting Gate Suites Rooftop Lounge that added approximately 500 new seats. We also made several improvements to dining areas inside the facility and replaced nearly 25,000 seats in our outdoor grandstand and clubhouse sections that enhanced the guest experience. We look forward to tomorrow for what we know will be a memorable 145th running of the Kentucky Derby,” Flanery said.

CHARITABLE

Churchill Downs held its 11th annual “Pink Out” in partnership with Derby Divas and in support of Norton Cancer Institute - during the celebration of the Longines Kentucky Oaks.

The Churchill Downs Incorporated Foundation donated $50,000 and helped raise an additional $23,877 through on-line donations to benefit the Breast Health Program at Norton Cancer Institute, a local non-profit, focused on the prevention and early detection of breast and ovarian cancer in young women.

Churchill Downs also donated $1 from each Friday sale of the Finlandia Oaks Lily®, the official drink of the Kentucky Oaks, to Derby Divas, a group of dedicated volunteers who have partnered with Norton Healthcare to raise funds to make sure underserved women have access to mammograms and other key services to help prevent, detect and treat breast cancer.

The Kentucky Oaks Survivors Parade presented by Kroger celebrated 145 cancer survivors who marched down Churchill Downs’ historic homestretch prior to the running of the Longines Kentucky Oaks to help raise national awareness of breast and ovarian health and honor survivors.

OAKS WINNER

Serengeti Empress, owned by Joel Politi and bred in Kentucky by Tri Eques Bloodstock, LLC, led from gate to wire and held off Coffeepot Stables’ Liora to win the Longines Kentucky Oaks by 1 3/4 lengths at odds of 13-1 in a final time of 1:50.17. Both jockey Jose Ortiz and trainer Tom Amoss, won the race for the first time. The daughter of Alternation out of the Bernardini mare Havisham was also the first Longines Kentucky Oaks winner owned by Politi. She now has a lifetime record of five wins in eight starts and increased her lifetime earnings to $1,044,870 and returned $28 for a $2 win wager.

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 2019 Spring Meet is scheduled for April 27 – June 29. Churchill Downs has hosted the Breeders’ Cup World Championships nine times. Information about Churchill Downs can be found online at www.churchilldowns.com.

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.

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.

Press Contacts

Nick Zangari
Vice President, Treasury, Investor Relations & Risk Management

Tonya Abeln
Vice President, Corporate Communications

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