Churchill Downs Readies for Derby

Thoroughbreds’ hooves thunder through the morning mist. Back in the barns, grooms sponge down steaming colts while barnhands use pitchforks to stuff stalls with mounds of hay.

The usual hectic preparations are under way as another Kentucky Derby approaches.

But this spring, the familiar daybreak sights and sounds at Churchill Downs give way to the rumble of earth-moving equipment and the rattle of power tools. The grandstand is undergoing a $121 million renovation, an effort to restore the decaying structure and help Churchill Downs compete with riverboat casinos and other more modern entertainment venues.

“The facility was becoming a maintenance nightmare,” said Tom Meeker, president and chief executive officer of Churchill Downs Inc., which owns the track. “Plus, it was becoming harder and harder to market. Families have many options now. They don’t want to go to places that are dark and dingy.”

The project is scheduled to be completed in April 2005. And as the May 1 Derby draws closer, concerns about the historic track’s future give way to questions about how the ongoing construction will affect its signature event.

Derby attendance has averaged 150,244 patrons the past four years, and John Asher, the track’s vice president of racing communications, said only 300 fewer reserved seats will be available this year.

The most glaring visual change spectators will notice is the cavernous, steel-girder skeleton standing where the clubhouse used to overlook the first turn. In years past, the section housed the press box and areas reserved for the well-to-do.

This year, the unfinished top three floors will be closed and many of the privileged guests will be moved to a temporary, 77,000-square foot block of white tents in the infield.

“We’re not going to promise that all of the walls are going to be covered, but all of the concessions will be open, all of the restrooms will be functional and all of the mutuel windows will be open,” Asher said. “It’s going to look different, no question, but we really believe it’s going to be a normal experience.”

The white tents will eventually be replaced by the Infield Hospitality Village, which will cover one-seventh of the 25 acres where the wildest Derby revelry occurs. An intriguing aspect of the setup is that the pristine clubhouse crowd will enter through the same gate and tunnel as the oftentimes rowdy infielders, although a chain-link fence will separate them.

On the paddock side, yellow panels enclose the clubhouse expansion. The finished product will include a glass-walled grand entrance, luxury boxes, a food court, dining and entertainment areas, and a simulcast theater. Giant video screens will also be added to the infield tote boards.

For this Kentucky Derby, it will be the area where visitors see the starkest contrast between the old and the new.

“I’m very proud of what they’re doing,” said Bob Lewis, owner of Derby winners Silver Charm (1997) and Charismatic (1999). “One of the things we need to recognize in the thoroughbred industry is the need to move forward and stay abreast of changing times and circumstances the industry is faced with.”

He added: “It certainly does need some revamping. It was getting awfully seedy and difficult to move around.”

Jose Cuevas, an assistant trainer for Bobby Frankel, who trained Kentucky Derby hopeful Master David, said he’s heard grumblings about what the finished renovation will look like.

“All over the country they’re saying that when you get to Churchill, it’s not going to look the same,” he said.

Earlier this month, a bulldozer plowed across uneven gravel along a pathway that’s densely packed with patrons every Derby Day. Asher said the area would probably be covered with asphalt for the Derby.