InsideLouisville, where we introduce you to the people, places and things that make up Kentucky's largest city.

This week we go inside Churchill Downs Racetrack, home of the Kentucky Derby.

Since its opening in 1875.

Churchill Downs has hosted the Kentucky Derby, the first leg of the Triple Crown of Racing and the Kentucky Oaks race.

Every year under the iconic Twin Spires.

In fact, the track was designated as a National Historic Landmark in 1986, and although it looks a lot different than it did a century and a half ago, some of the traditions created there haven't changed at all.

[MUSIC] [MUSIC] [MUSIC] It's a tradition unlike any other.

Churchill Downs has hosted the Kentucky Derby every year since 1875, making it the longest continuously run sporting event in the United States.

The Derby and Churchill Downs sure looked a lot different back then.

>> Well, the Kentucky Derby came to be in 1875.

That was the year of the very first Kentucky Derby when the Louisville Jockey Club, the original name for Churchill Downs and the Derby, were founded.

One of the main reasons was coming out of the Civil War.

Breeding industry had been devastated here in Kentucky.

So those who were in that industry were really looking for a way to get people excited and investing in horse breeding.

A lot of historians will point to three pivotal years in the early 20th century.

1913 to 1915.

[MUSIC] We had some fortune during that time because the New York, New York is the epicenter of racing at that time.

And with the progressive movements of the era, anti-gambling movements there.

Actually, there's no racing.

From about 1911 to 1913 in the state of New York that helps the Derby increase its visibility.

[MUSIC] We had three big races that got a lot of national coverage from the news at 1913, the biggest long shot ever.

Donerail wins it 91 to 1.

You had a horse named Old Rosebud who was highly thought of in 1914 that wins that year.

And then in 1915, we have regret.

The first of three fillies or female horses win the Derby.

So you had three in a row that really got it going on that upward upward trajectory.

Starting to see it.

>> Today.

Churchill Downs Racetrack has an impact of about $400 million every year.

The vast majority of it happens in just one week, and that's derby week.

>> People come here for the mystique, the history.

But at the same time, you've got to keep up with modern times and deliver different experiences for different people.

>> The historic racetrack has made some major changes over the past few years, including a $200 million paddock renovation revealed in 2024, and a $90 million upgrade to the grandstand in 2025.

Still ahead, a new Sky terrace area and a brand new look for the infield.

Some of the largest projects in the track's history.

But the construction isn't the only change this year.

>> I think a major storyline this year everybody's talking about is the the move to prime time for the Kentucky Oaks.

We couldn't be more excited about this opportunity.

You know, the ability to be on national television in the 8:00 hour.

[MUSIC] Number one, it helps elevate the status of the Kentucky Oaks itself.

[MUSIC] But two, it's I mean, really, it's like a it's like an hour long infomercial, the Kentucky Derby, one day before the race on network television.

So that's extremely exciting for us.

[MUSIC] The Kentucky Derby and hosting it, you know, like, you know, a lot of people like to liken it to the Super Bowl.

>> Yes.

>> It is such a bucket list event for people.

It has grown so much over the years, especially within the last 20 years.

I mean, we had 20 million people watching the race on national television last year.

There are people that want to come here from all over the world.

It's a $400 million economic impact to, you know, the area.

And we just want to continue to grow it and make it the the the best it can be.

>> 152 years of tradition for the greatest two minutes in sports and the experience of a lifetime, all happening inside one historic venue.

>> To me, it's just that's what's always impressed me.

Going to about 20 Kentucky derbies now.

It's just that the combination of so many different people from so many walks of life that come here to experience the Kentucky Derby, everyone from who's here for maybe the party in the infield, or there's someone local, their local.

[MUSIC] And this is just something they do because it's it's Louisville's event to the horse racing fans and folks in the industry that are here because it's the landmark thing for the sport and the industry.

[MUSIC] Somebody again, so many different people, so many different walks of life.

And it's just a celebration and it's a really a special thing to see.

>> Well, we are excited to welcome president of Churchill Downs Racetrack Mike Anderson here to our Louisville studio.

Tough for you to get away this time of year.

So a little.

>> Busy right now.

>> We appreciate you being here.

Well, we heard then about so much of the history of Churchill Downs and the tradition.

And so I'm curious, your vision for kind of balancing that with, you know, the tradition and the many, many years of pomp and circumstance and then with modern expectations and technology and how things have dramatically changed in 152 years.

>> Yeah, absolutely.

Thanks for having me on today.

I really appreciate it.

We love our traditions.

Churchill Downs loves our traditions that we've had 100 years, 100 plus years.

So whether it's the mint julep or singing of the My Old Kentucky Home, the walk over.

There are so many living traditions that are so part of the core fabric of what we do, and it's very important for us to make sure we continue that, because that's very meaningful for our customers.

But when we look to future generations, so my kids, for example, we are looking to see how we can keep the interest and the level of the the younger generation.

So for example, we social media is, is so big now.

And my kids tell me this, not necessarily myself, but we have a fantastic social media group that is on TikTok and Instagram and Twitter.

So they're posting things out there that are relevant for younger generation to attach to.

And we have so many good stories there.

We've created a themed derby week now, so Derby day is no longer the most exciting part.

It could be any part of the week.

So whether it's opening day or Sunday Fun Day or five O Tuesday, we have themed the entire week to get the interest of certain parts of our our fan base.

So keeping relevant is extremely important for us to make sure that the Kentucky Derby survives the next couple of generations.

So that's what we try to do is integrate the the old traditions that are so important that we embrace, as well as introducing new traditions and social media themed week night racing, the survivor's parade, things like that.

>> Yeah, it is a balancing act.

It is, I imagine.

Let's talk a little bit about that expansion from Derby day to derby week, because it absolutely is a spectacle every single day of the week.

And a lot of locals will say that they go to the track earlier in the week because the, you know, Oaks and Derby is now for out of towners.

As a local yourself though, what's your take on that?

>> It's a difficult balance.

You know, we're we're owned by a publicly traded company.

So really my bosses are the shareholders of the company.

So we have an obligation to grow.

And we're looking internationally now to try to to to bring in some international crowds.

So having grown up in South Louisville, never went to the Derby when I was younger or the track necessarily, but it was all about the Derby parties and the gathering of the family and friends, which was so important part of me growing up and understanding the importance of this event.

But it is a delicate balance.

Derby week has provided an opportunity, like you said, to allow everybody to participate.

So the weekend before the Saturday and Sunday rolling into five oh, Tuesday and Wednesday.

We hope that everybody can can feel a part of that derby magic as as we roll into Oaks and Derby too.

>> Yeah, yeah.

One of the most dramatic changes was just in the last couple of years with some of these dramatic renovations you all have done at the track, and most notably, the complete overhauling of the paddock area, which is a completely different feel and look than it ever was before.

Talk a little bit about some of those renovations that people will see this year if they haven't been in a while, and and what's still ahead as far as renovations to the track itself?

>> Sure.

Following our we had a series of capital projects over the last five years the Homestretch Club edition, the Ford First Turn Club edition, and then the two year project we did for the paddock that you mentioned, $300 million.

Probably the most transformational project that I've seen in my 30 years at the track really opened things up to to everybody.

I'll call it.

I'll call it construction light.

This year we did two renovation projects for $25 million.

We upgraded the esthetics of the mansion, the high end six floor facility that is right on the finish line.

Beautiful modernization of that that that facility.

And then just below that, on the fifth floor, the Finish Line Suites, which has 15 suites, really opened that room up.

We've added capacity for more people to get in there.

And I think people are absolutely going to love what we've done this past year.

But albeit a $25 million project is a little bit light compared to what we've normally done.

But rolling into after Derby starting in June, we are going to launch another two year project called Victory Run.

So this is going to be a new four story tower settled in between the Sky terrace and the Ford First Turn Club.

It's going to be beautiful cantilever roof, similar to what the first turn has.

It's going to have new suites.

It's going to have indoor dining, outdoor dining box seats, and it's all going to be covered by this roof, which as we know it rains occasionally on Derby day.

So yeah, this roof will cover all of those seats and we should keep everybody dry.

So we're really looking forward to that.

Two year project won't be launched until May of 2028.

>> Yeah.

Now, last year, you all announced that you were pausing this really large scale renovation project in the Sky terrace and the overall of the infield due to economic uncertainties.

And that was last year.

So where does that project stand now?

>> So we announced a $900 million project just over a year ago.

And we, based on what we were going through with the tariff increases and the price of construction really skyrocketed.

So our project that we had just approved escalated rapidly.

So we said, okay, let's pause, let's, let's take this in pieces.

And that's exactly what victory Run is.

This $300 million piece is a portion of that larger project.

So we decided to to break it up into pieces so we can figure out what the the economy is doing.

This uncertainty around prices, so we can make sure we can take out little bite sizes.

But still the $900 million projects in mind.

But we're we're taking it step by step now.

>> Okay.

Still a goal in the future.

Yes.

Another dramatic change over the past decade or so is the legalization of sports gambling and technology.

You know, everybody's betting on their app, on their phone now.

So talk a little bit about how both of those have impacted the track.

>> Sports betting has been around two and a half years, maybe a little over two years.

And so it's not as mature yet in the States.

So it's it's hard to say how it's going to impact us.

Thus far, it really hasn't impacted the track and wagering 96% of all sports betting wagering in Kentucky is online.

So people are whipping out their phones and they're betting with with FanDuel, they're betting with DraftKings, and they're not going to a physical sportsbook like the track.

And we had a sports book for a while, really didn't get enough customers because everybody was betting on their phones.

So we shut it down after a year.

But so, so sports betting really has an impact us.

And in fact, Kentucky Racing Handle has grown dramatically over the last several years.

And that's thanks to our legislative body and the governor for supporting historical horse racing legislation that made it clearly legal.

So facilities like Derby City Gaming, which, you know, we have two facilities in town and throughout the state, those support the purse structure in Kentucky and brings more horsemen in here.

So we're getting stables coming from California, Arkansas, Florida, all across the country because we're paying the best purses in the state.

And that's really benefited us for bringing more people in.

So technology is, is, is really helping us on the side of mobile wagering for our own sister company, twinspires.com.

You have the ability now to bet on any horse race in the world at any time.

So you have that capabilities now with Twin Spires and then really mobile ticketing and mobile parking passes, maybe tougher for some, maybe my generation to get accustomed to showing your ticket on your phone versus handing them a ticket.

But we're getting there.

So we're making advances in that technology that helps us make us more efficient.

>> Yeah, it is just a dramatic change.

Are you do you still like going to the window, placing the bet?

>> I know I'm Twin Spires guy.

Are you?

So if I'm going to bet it's going to be on Twin Spires.

Yeah.

I'm there now.

>> Yeah, yeah.

Me too.

It takes it took a little bit of time, but it gives me a little more time to think about what I'm going to do and everything.

Well, so another thing that has been in the news as far as the racetrack is, of course, horse safety.

And there were several horse fatalities in the past couple of years at Churchill, which was a hot topic for a long time.

Obviously, the Bob Baffert situation as well.

Where do things stand and what has changed because of of the what had happened at the track?

>> Yeah.

Churchill Downs has and always will have an unwavering commitment to the safety and health of our equine athletes.

So really, nothing changed in the mentality of what we do.

The Derby horses, for example, are required to be on track one week in advance of the Kentucky Derby.

So next Saturday all 20 Kentucky Derby horses will be here and all 14 Kentucky Oaks horses will be here.

They're under 24 hour surveillance.

They have a pet machine, a pet unit over at our at our quarantine barn facility where they can do detailed tests of horse to look for any any signs of of issues with their health before they race.

We do out of competition state chemical tests, which they can monitor what intake they have.

They use these little devices with stride safe that monitor the gait of the horse.

So when they're practicing, they're, they're in training every morning.

You can really tell if their gait is normal, how they're galloping or they're, they're running.

So you can monitor any minute changes in how things are going, which might indicate a tear or a ligament problem, and they can get in front of that.

So from a safety and health standpoint, really nothing has changed.

We continue to monitor these horses and take the best care of them we can.

So that's our that's our priority number one.

>> And I guess that's another way technology has been integrated to the track, right?

I mean, those are things that probably weren't able to be done and monitored so closely.

Five, ten years ago.

>> The Pet scanning system with with Haggard equine Medical has done wonders for us because you can have an on site, basically a medical hospital for, for our horses that you can, you can check them there.

And those little chips that you put on the saddles to monitor their gait.

That's just been over the last 4 or 5 years.

So we are really investing in that technology and trying to improve it year after year.

>> It has become such a national international event.

And I'm tell me just from your take of being from here, what what do you want people to feel or experience when they come to the Kentucky Derby?

>> I think I want them to feel like every Louisvillian feels it's it's such a rush.

It's such, such a thrill.

The Derby fever we get.

But but just being on track, whether you're watching a horse race or not, if you're just there for the fashion or the celebrities or the.

Just the pageantry of watching a horse walk on the track, it doesn't necessarily have to be about this two minute horse race.

It's about everything surrounding about.

It's the people in Louisville, Kentucky, and the hospitality from when they fly in, drive in to the hotels, to the restaurants.

It's every aspect of what we provide as citizens of Louisville to what we give people that have never been here before.

So whether they're from California, New York, or they're from England or Japan or China, I want everybody to feel that rush and that love.

And I always call Kentucky Derby Week.

It's a celebration of life.

I think you're you just get a feel for man.

This is this is what I can celebrate what I do and just drop all your worries for just, just a few moments, a few hours, a few days.

But just celebrate all the good things in life by letting go and celebrating with us at Churchill Downs.

>> You mentioned you have been with the company for 30 years.

So tell us about your your background, how you came to Churchill Downs and how you kind of climbed the ranks.

>> Not very exciting, I'll tell you.

I grew up in Fairdale in South end of town.

My mom and dad weren't big gamblers, didn't really go to the track, but they grew up.

Mom grew up off Southern Parkway.

Dad grew up off Taylor Boulevard, so my grandparents were there.

So within blocks, riding my bicycle around the neighborhoods of Churchill, I went to college to be an accountant.

So I'm a CPA and luckily was doing audits for Churchill Downs and got an opportunity to come start with them 30 years ago.

So I didn't have the most, you know, I wasn't a horse guy.

I wasn't riding horses or, or sneaking in the backside.

Just got the opportunity, luckily for me, in my position and have loved every minute of it.

>> What has that learning curve been like for you to I mean, you kind of have to be a horse guy now, right?

>> Absolutely.

I've learned to really respect the horsemen and horsewomen on the backside.

What they do day in and day out of, you know, getting up at four in the morning and training your horses 365 days a week.

The commitment by owners to invest money, which probably have no return on the investment.

Some do, but vast majority probably don't have a return.

The exercise riders, the grooms, the whole backside population of caring for these animals, they're.

They put their blood, sweat and tears into what they do.

And that's really fascinates me and gets me interested in and learning everything about what they do on the backside.

So it's, it's been good for me.

>> What's one thing that you think would surprise people to learn about Churchill Downs?

>> In my 30 years, I used to get the okay, Derby's over.

What do you do now?

You know, you must have a boring job for nine months a year.

So it's a it's such a year round planning experience for us.

We are rated with Department of Homeland Security as a special assessment rating of two, which which is serious.

So we get federal resources, secret service controls the federal side.

So the amount of coordination we have starting, let's say in June after Derby through today with over ten federal agencies, 15 state local agencies, we are planning literally around the clock.

And it's so important for us to be connected with LMPD, who does a fantastic job with us.

The mayor's been very supportive, but really all federal agencies, they they come in and we have representation with 25 agencies on site looking out for us.

So I think people would be surprised how much goes into planning this big event.

But it is it's monstrous 151 consecutive years.

And it's the longest continuously held sporting event in North America.

I don't want to ever take that for granted.

I don't want the community to ever take that for granted.

We've been given a gift.

So in 1875, when we had 10,000 people show up at the very first Kentucky Derby, no one knew at that time what that meant.

But it has grown and matured and grown, and really, there's no other sporting event in the nation that can that can say, we've got the best because it's here, it's in town.

It's not the Super Bowl, which travel city to city.

Louisville, Kentucky is on the map nationally with this event every year.

And we should embrace it like we have.

And we've done a good job, but we should never take it for granted because I can't imagine Louisville, Kentucky without the Kentucky Derby.

>> Tell me about your vision for the future of the racetrack.

What do you hope it looks like ten, 20, 50 years from now?

>> That's a good question.

So being a homegrown person, you know, I, I want to first make sure there's still a connection with the community.

I don't want to ever lose sight of what Churchill Downs is.

We're a publicly traded company.

One thing, but the community really owns the Derby and makes the Derby.

We don't exist without all the citizens who step up this time of the year.

And for three weeks during the festival and then the week of Derby, they entertain, they feed, they they provide lodging.

That's really the the vibe of Kentucky Derby, what people feel when our citizens in this community show them what it's like, and then come to the track for eight hours and participate and watch horse racing.

But it's really, it starts with day one when they fly in and it ends when they drive out of here or fly out of here.

So, so the connection with the community is first to is continue the international road to, to drive people to want to be here from the Far East, from Japan, for example.

And we've had recent success with Japanese horses coming in and, and Japanese clientele, the Middle East, the European nation, very big horse racing fans over there.

And we want them to continue to strive to want to be in the Kentucky Derby, the world's greatest race.

>> You can watch and share this episode anytime at ket.org/insidelouisville.

We also have a full library of Derby related stories and programs.

You can see them all on our website.

And don't forget to follow us on social media where we have all our best derby content the hats, the horses, and of course, the history.

You can find us on Instagram at KETN Lou.

Thanks for spending a little time getting to know Louisville.

I hope we'll see you here next time.

Until then, make it a great derby week.