CDI

A new four-story structure called Victory Run, which will include private suites, indoor and outdoor dining, and covered box seating, will be built on the first turn of the Churchill Downs Racetrack, according to a release from Churchill Downs Incorporated (CDI) Wednesday afternoon. To be built between the First Turn Club and the Skye Terrace, it will replace approximately 6,400 uncovered, ground-level box seats and dining areas with a new space for approximately 7,800 guests. CDI anticipates the project will cost between $280 million and $300 million. "We are excited...

Two months out from the Dec. 3 start to its 65-date winter/spring season, Turfway Park is projecting maiden special weight (MSW) purses to be $90,000. That's an increase of $10,000 per race from the $80,000 MSW purse level that Turfway paid at the 2024-25 meet. But that figure also falls $10,000 short of the work-in-progress goal stated earlier this year by Churchill Downs, Inc. (CDI), Turfway's parent company, of having MSW races of at least $100,000 at all five Thoroughbred tracks in Kentucky. Back in May, Gary Palmisano, Jr., the...

A dispute that had threatened the upcoming meet at the Fair Grounds has been resolved, which means the meet will be held as scheduled, from Nov. 22 to Mar. 23. Churchill Downs Inc., which owns the Fair Grounds, was threatening to close the track after the Louisiana Supreme Court ruled in March that the statute that legalized Historical Horse Racing Machines at the OTBs run by Fair Grounds was not legal and that the machines could not continue to operate without voter approval. CDI officials previously said that shutting down...

There are "active discussions" between representatives of Churchill Downs Inc. and officials in Louisiana to reach some kind of agreement to see the owners of Fair Grounds continue to operate live racing at the track, according to a report Friday in DRF. Earlier this week, CDI's chief executive, Bill Carstanjen, sent a letter to the Louisiana State Racing Commission (LSRC) and to some of the state's high-ranking politicians, warning that the track's inability to operate historic horse racing machines (HHR) at its OTBs put the company in a precarious economic...

Churchill Downs, Inc. (CDI) has escalated its recent threat of pulling out of racing at Fair Grounds in New Orleans. "Given the legislature's ease with which it approved legislation that is directly adverse and harmful to the economic interests of Fair Grounds, the opposition by elected officials to engage in meaningful solutions in collaboration with the Fair Grounds, and the forthcoming adjournment of the legislative session, CDI is left with no choice but to request an appearance before the LSRC to begin the next steps for voluntarily surrendering the racing...

Churchill Downs, Inc. (CDI), which in recent seasons has ended racing at such high-profile tracks as Arlington and Calder over alleged profitability issues, on Tuesday threatened to pull out of Fair Grounds over a recent court ruling that bars it from using a certain type of slot machine, saying the ban would cause it to lose money at the New Orleans track and 13 off-track-betting outlets it owns. Reporting by Anthony McAuley and Tyler Bridges at NOLA.com first broke the news, which emerged out of an "emergency" Louisiana Racing Commission...

Ellis Park is projecting a significant boost for maiden special weight (MSW) purses at its upcoming 25-date summer meet, up from $71,000 last year to "in the $100,000 range" according to Gary Palmisano, Jr., the vice president of racing for Churchill Downs, Inc. (CDI), the gaming company that is the corporate owner of the Western Kentucky track. Palmisano also projected that planned transfers of Kentucky Thoroughbred Development Fund (KTDF) money from Kentucky Downs and the allocation of funding from other sources within CDI's in-state gaming operations would bridge a gap...

With more than 100,000 in attendance on what became a wet Oaks Day, Churchill Downs Incorporated (CDI) reported that all-sources wagering on the GI Kentucky Oaks was $22.7 million, which was up four percent from last year, but betting from all-sources on the full race day card was $73.9 million, which was down 1.9% from last year's record $75.3 million, the company said in a release late on Friday. TwinSpires, the official betting partner of the Kentucky Oaks, handled a new record of $20.9 million in wagering on Churchill Downs...

Churchill Downs Incorporated (CDI) has decided to pause the multi-year projects to develop The Skye, Conservatory and Infield areas "due to the increasing uncertainty surrounding construction costs related to the Trump tariffs and trade disputes as well as current macro-economic conditions," the company said in a press release on Wednesday afternoon. During their first quarter earnings call after the market closed, CDI said in the coming months it will assess the evolving economic landscape and evaluate any changes to the timing and sequencing of these multi-year projects. Chief Executive Officer...

Raffles of six all-inclusive box seats to both the GI Kentucky Oaks and GI Kentucky Derby will be held by the Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation (TRF), with all proceeds benefitting the TRF's mission of providing lifetime aftercare to nearly 400 retired racehorses. Churchill Downs Incorporated (CDI) has donated the boxes, which hold an estimated value of $3,000 for the Oaks and $7,000 for the Derby. The special on-line raffle boxes are located in Section 324, which is on the third floor overlooking the eighth pole. All reserved seating includes food, as...

Saturday's canceled card due to a power outage at Fair Grounds will be moved in its entirety to Tuesday, Mar. 18, according to a Sunday press release from Churchill Downs Inc. First post is set for 12:45 pm CT. The track will conduct a six-day racing week culminating with the Louisiana Derby Day card on Saturday and closing day is Sunday, Mar. 23.

A federal judge on Wednesday ruled that the Michigan Gaming Control Board (MGCB) is unconstitutionally violating the Interstate Horseracing Act (IHA) by requiring the advance-deposit wagering (ADW) platform TwinSpires to partner with a racetrack in that state before accepting simulcast wagers from Michigan residents. The judge further issued a preliminary injunction ordering the MGCB not to enforce the contested Michigan Horse Racing Law (MHRL) licensing requirement or to issue any sanctions against the Churchill Downs, Inc. (CDI) subsidiary for accepting bets. The Feb. 19 order only pertained to the TwinSpires...