Churchill Downs Incorporated is the parent company of

Churchill Downs Churchill Downs is a horse racing complex located on Central Avenue in south Louisville, Kentucky, United States, famed for hosting the annual Kentucky Derby. It officially opened in 1875 and was named for Samuel Churchill, whose family was ...

. The company has evolved from one racetrack in

Louisville, Kentucky Louisville ( , , ) is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky and the 28th most-populous city in the United States. Louisville is the historical seat and, since 2003, the nominal seat of Jefferson County, on the Indiana border ...

, to a multi American-state-wide, publicly traded company with racetracks, casinos and an online wagering company among its portfolio of businesses.

History

Churchill Downs Incorporated began with the opening of one legendary racetrack in Louisville, Kentucky, in 1875. While traveling in England and France in 1872–1873, 26-year-old

Meriwether Lewis Clark Meriwether Clark may refer to: * Meriwether Lewis Clark (1809–1879), U.S. Army officer and Confederate general in the American Civil War * Meriwether Lewis Clark Jr. Meriwether Lewis Clark Jr. (January 27, 1846 – April 22, 1899) was the fou ...

devised the idea of a Louisville Jockey Club for conducting race meets. Clark toured and visited with a number of notable racing leaders, including England's Admiral Rous and France's Vicomte Darn, vice president of the French Jockey Club. Upon his return from Europe, Clark began development of his racetrack, which would serve to showcase the Kentucky breeding industry. The track would eventually become known as Churchill Downs. The track formally opened on May 17, 1875, with four races scheduled including the day's featured race, the Kentucky Derby. In 1919, a syndicate of horse breeders established the Kentucky Jockey Club to consolidate the state's thoroughbred racing industry. It acquired the four major tracks in the state: Churchill Downs,

Latonia Race Track Latonia Race Track on Winston Avenue in Latonia ( Covington) Kentucky, six miles south of Cincinnati, Ohio, was a Thoroughbred horse racing facility opened in 1883. The track hosted a spring-summer racing series and a second in late fall. It wa ...

, the

Kentucky Association The Kentucky Association (also known as the Kentucky Racing Association E. Polk Johnson, ''A Hist ...

track in Lexington, and Douglas Park in Louisville. Douglas Park was closed and eventually donated to the

American Legion The American Legion, commonly known as the Legion, is a non-profit organization of U.S. war War is an intense armed conflict between states, governments, societies, or paramilitary groups such as mercenaries, insurgents, and militi ...

, while the Lexington track was sold to a group of local businessmen in 1923. The Jockey Club decided to dissolve in December 1927, with the purpose of re-organizing. In January 1928, the American Turf Association was formed as the new holding company for Churchill Downs and six other tracks. The entity that is Churchill Downs Incorporated today was created at that time as the operating company for Churchill Downs. From 1929 through 1942, the holding company started to reduce the number of tracks. By 1937, there were only three tracks left. In January 1937, the operating companies for Churchill Downs and Latonia Race Track were merged to create Churchill Downs–Latonia Incorporated. Business at Latonia declined, and it held its last races in 1939. In 1942, the Latonia property was sold to

Standard Oil of Ohio The Standard Oil Company (Ohio) was an American oil company, a successor of the original company established in 1870 by John D. Rockefeller. It was established as "Standard Oil Company of Ohio" as one of the separate entities created after the ...

, and the operating company's name was changed to Churchill Downs, Incorporated. The American Turf Association sold Lincoln Fields in 1947, leaving Churchill Downs as its only operation. In April 1950, Churchill Downs, Inc., became an independent company, as its stock was distributed to shareholders of the American Turf Association, which then dissolved. After

simulcasting Simulcast (a portmanteau of simultaneous broadcast) is the broadcasting of programmes/programs or events across more than one resolution, bitrate or medium, or more than one service on the same medium, at exactly the same time (that is, simultane ...

became commonplace in the early 1990s, the racetrack decided to expand its holdings and move into the simulcasting industry. In 1991, Churchill Downs bought the struggling

Louisville Downs Louisville Downs was a half-mile Standardbred harness race track located in Louisville, Kentucky, United States. It opened in 1966 and held over 3,400 days of harness racing until it was sold to Churchill Downs Inc. in 1991. Louisville Downs was bu ...

harness track, which was closed and converted to a satellite wagering and training facility. In 1994, Churchill Downs began to expand its holdings, with plans to partner with a new racetrack in

Indiana Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th s ...

. The plan resulted in the purchase of

Hoosier Park Harrah's Hoosier Park Racing & Casino is a racino including a standardbred racetrack located in Anderson, Indiana, approximately 30 miles northeast of Indianapolis. It is owned and operated by Eldorado Resorts, Caesars Entertainment. The facility f ...

from businessman Louis Carlo. In 1998, CDI purchased

Ellis Park Race Course Ellis Park is a thoroughbred racetrack near Henderson, Kentucky, just south of Evansville, Indiana. It is owned and operated by Churchill Downs Incorporated. While the track is located north of the Ohio River that forms the border between Kentuc ...

near

Henderson, Kentucky Henderson is a home rule-class city along the Ohio River and is the county seat of Henderson County, Kentucky, United States. The population was 28,757 at the 2010 U.S. census. It is part of the Evansville Metropolitan Area, locally known as the ...

. In 1999, the company acquired

Calder Race Course Calder Casino is a casino located in Miami Gardens, Florida. It includes slots, electronic table games, and bingo. The casino opened in 2010 and features a gaming floor with 1,100 slot machines, including video poker, as well as electronic r ...

and

Hollywood Park Racetrack Hollywood Park was a thoroughbred race course located in Inglewood, California, about 3 miles (5 km) from Los Angeles International Airport and adjacent to the Forum indoor arena. In 1994, the original Hollywood Park Casino was added to the ...

from

Pinnacle Entertainment Pinnacle Entertainment, Inc. was an American gambling and hospitality company. It was acquired by Penn National Gaming in 2018. At the time of acquisition, it operated sixteen casino properties, located in Colorado, Indiana, Iowa, Louisiana, Missi ...

In 2000, CDI merged with

Arlington Park Arlington International Racecourse (formerly Arlington Park, the name was Arlington Park Jockey Club from as soon as 1948 up to 1955) was a horse race track in the Chicago suburb of Arlington Heights, Illinois. Horse racing in the Chicago regi ...

and the eight OTB's owned by Arlington. In 2004, Churchill Downs Incorporated finalized the purchase of

Fair Grounds Race Course Fair Grounds Race Course, often known as New Orleans Fair Grounds, is a thoroughbred racetrack and racino in New Orleans, Louisiana. It is operated by Churchill Downs Louisiana Horseracing Company, LLC. As early as 1838 Bernard de Marigny, Ju ...

. In April 2002, Churchill Downs Incorporated established the Green Pastures Program in partnership with the

Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation The Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation (TRF) is an American organization founded in 1982, whose mission is: "To save Thoroughbred horses no longer able to compete on the racetrack from possible neglect, abuse and slaughter." History Two years af ...

, a leading American racehorse rescue and adoption organization. In 2005, Hollywood Park was sold to Bay Meadows Land Company for $257.5 million, and Ellis Park was sold to businessman Ron Geary in September 2006. In December 2006, Churchill Downs Inc. sold its remaining interest in Hoosier Park to Centaur Inc. In the fall of 2007, Fair Grounds reopened to include a gaming facility adjacent to the track grandstand. In January 2010, Churchill Downs added the casino venue to Calder Race Course. On May 2, 2007, CDI launched its advance deposit wagering service, TwinSpires (www.twinspires.com). TwinSpires.com is the official advance-deposit wagering service for Churchill Downs Incorporated and its family of racetracks, as well for the Kentucky Derby and Kentucky Oaks. TwinSpires.com offers wagering on races from the country's most popular racetracks. TwinSpires.com includes the assets of Youbet.com, which Churchill Downs Incorporated acquired in June 2010. The company acquired

Harlow's Casino Resort Harlow's Casino Resort & Hotel is a casino located in Refuge, Mississippi near Greenville, and approximately east of the Mississippi River. It is owned and operated by Churchill Downs Inc. Harlow's has of gaming space with slot machines, black ...

Greenville, Mississippi Greenville is a city in and the county seat of Washington County, Mississippi, United States. The population was 34,400 at the 2010 census. It is located in the area of historic cotton plantations and culture known as the Mississippi Delta. Hi ...

, in December 2010 for $138 million. In October 2012, the company acquired the Riverwalk Casino and Hotel in

Vicksburg, Mississippi Vicksburg is a historic city in Warren County, Mississippi, United States. It is the county seat, and the population at the 2010 census was 23,856. Located on a high bluff on the east bank of the Mississippi River across from Louisiana, Vic ...

for $141 million. In December 2012, Churchill Downs partnered with

Delaware North Delaware North is a global food service and hospitality company headquartered in Buffalo, New York. The company also operates in the lodging, sporting, airport, gambling, and entertainment industries. The company employs over 55,000 people worl ...

to buy

Lebanon Raceway Miami Valley Gaming is a harness racing track and casino (a "racino") in Turtlecreek Township, Ohio. It opened in 2013 as a replacement for Lebanon Raceway, located in nearby Lebanon, Ohio, Lebanon. The track conducts seasonal live racing on Frid ...

Lebanon, Ohio Lebanon is a city in and the county seat of Warren County, Ohio, United States. The population was 20,841 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Cincinnati metropolitan area. History Lebanon is in the Symmes Purchase. The first European settler ...

for $60 million. Ohio had recently authorized slot machines at racetracks, which the companies took advantage of by transferring the racing license to a new $215-million facility built between

Cincinnati Cincinnati ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located at the northern side of the confluence of the Licking and Ohio rivers, the latter of which marks the state line wit ...

and

Dayton Dayton () is the sixth-largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Montgomery County. A small part of the city extends into Greene County. The 2020 U.S. census estimate put the city population at 137,644, while Greater Da ...

. The new racino,

Miami Valley Gaming Miami Valley Gaming is a harness racing track and casino (a "racino") in Turtlecreek Township, Ohio. It opened in 2013 as a replacement for Lebanon Raceway, located in nearby Lebanon, Ohio, Lebanon. The track conducts seasonal live racing on Frid ...

, opened in December 2013. In July 2013, Churchill Downs bought the

Oxford Casino The Oxford Casino is a hotel and casino in Oxford, Maine, owned and operated by Churchill Downs Inc. It has of gaming space, with 970 slot machines and 28 table games. The hotel is four stories, with 107 rooms. There are three eateries at the pr ...

Oxford, Maine Oxford is a town in Oxford County, Maine, United States. The population was 4,229 at the 2020 census. Oxford is home to the Oxford Plains Speedway, the annual Oxford County Fair, and Oxford Casino. The town includes the village of Welchville. ...

for $160 million. In May 2014, CDI and Saratoga Casino Holdings announced a partnership to bid for the Capital Region's casino license, proposing a $300-million destination resort casino in

East Greenbush, New York East Greenbush is a Administrative divisions of New York#Town, town in Rensselaer County, New York, Rensselaer County, New York (state), New York, United States. It is a suburb of Albany, New York, Albany. The population was 16,473 at the 2010 cen ...

. In October 2014, Churchill agreed to purchase a 25 percent interest in Saratoga, and signed on to manage

Saratoga Casino and Raceway Saratoga Casino Hotel (formerly Saratoga Casino and Raceway) is an establishment in Saratoga Springs, New York. Saratoga Casino Hotel is home to a -mile standardbred race track, with a racino and hotel located inside the racetrack's grandstand. ...

, Saratoga Casino Black Hawk, and the proposed Capital View Casino & Resort. The casino proposal was rejected, however, in favor of Rivers Casino. In December 2014, the company acquired

Big Fish Games Big Fish Games is a casual gaming company based in Seattle, with a regional office in Oakland, California, owned by Aristocrat Leisure. It is a developer and distributor of casual games for computers and mobile devices. It has been accused of k ...

, a developer of

casual games A casual game is a video game targeted at a mass market audience, as opposed to a Hardcore gamer, hardcore game, which is targeted at Gamer#Dedication spectrum, hobbyist gamers. Casual games may exhibit any type of gameplay and genre. They genera ...

, in a deal valued at up to $885 million. It then sold Big Fish Games in 2018 to

Aristocrat Leisure Aristocrat Leisure Limited is an Australian gambling machine manufacturer, which has its administrative and research headquarters in the Sydney suburb of North Ryde. It has marketing and development offices in South Africa, Russia, and the Uni ...

for $990 million. The company partnered with Saratoga to purchase

Ocean Downs Ocean Downs is a casino and harness racing track in Berlin, Maryland, near Ocean City. It is owned and operated by Churchill Downs Inc. Construction started in 1947 as a harness racetrack, and it opened in 1949 with Ocean Downs Racing Associat ...

, a harness racing track and casino in Maryland, in January 2017. Churchill Downs took full ownership of Ocean Downs in September 2018, swapping its 25 percent stake in Saratoga for Saratoga's 50 percent stake in the track. In April 2017, the company purchased advance-deposit wagering website BetAmerica. In February 2018, Churchill Downs agreed to purchase two casinos (

Presque Isle Downs Presque Isle Downs & Casino is a casino and horse racing track near Erie, Pennsylvania, owned and operated by Churchill Downs Inc. History The developer, MTR Gaming Group, broke ground in October 2005 for the new facility, which opened on February ...

in Pennsylvania and Lady Luck Casino Vicksburg in Mississippi) from

Eldorado Resorts Caesars Entertainment, Inc., formerly Eldorado Resorts, Inc., is an American hotel and casino entertainment company founded and based in Reno, Nevada that operates more than 50 properties. Eldorado Resorts acquired Caesars Entertainment Corporat ...

for a total of $230 million. The purchase of the Lady Luck was later canceled because of antitrust concerns, and Churchill Downs instead agreed to buy the operations of

Lady Luck Casino Nemacolin The word ''lady'' is a term for a girl or woman, with various connotations. Once used to describe only women of a high social class or status, the equivalent of lord, now it may refer to any adult woman, as gentleman can be used for men. Inform ...

in Pennsylvania for $100,000. The purchases were completed in early 2019. In September 2018, the company opened

Derby City Gaming Derby City Gaming officially opened on Friday September 14, 2018. The 85,000 square foot, $65 million-dollar facility is Louisville, Kentucky’s only licensed gaming facility. It includes 1,000 historical racing machines, with over 70 themes, on th ...

, a $65-million

historical racing Historic motorsport or vintage motorsport, is motorsport with vehicles limited to a particular era. Only safety precautions are modernized in these hobbyist races. A historical event can be of various types of motorsport disciplines, from road ...

parlor, at the site of Louisville Downs. In March 2019, Churchill Downs bought a 62 percent share in

Rivers Casino Des Plaines Rivers Casino is a casino in Des Plaines, Illinois, United States, a northern suburb of Chicago. It is minutes away from O'Hare International Airport. Rivers Casino opened on July 18, 2011. It is majority-owned by Churchill Downs Inc., and manag ...

, a few miles away from Arlington Park, from

Neil Bluhm Neil Gary Bluhm (born 1938) is an American billionaire real estate and casino magnate. He is a partner of Midwest Gaming & Entertainment, which owns several casinos. He had an estimated net worth of US$7 billion in October 2021. Early life Bluhm ...

and his partners for $401 million. Later that year, Churchill purchased

Turfway Park Turfway Park is an American horse racing track located within the city limits of Florence, Kentucky, about south of the Ohio River at Cincinnati. The track conducts live Thoroughbred horse racing during two meets each year—Holiday (December), ...

in Northern Kentucky for $46 million, and announced the construction of a $100-million historical racing parlor at the property. In March 2022, Churchill Downs acquired Chasers Poker Room in

Salem, New Hampshire Salem is a town in Rockingham County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 30,089 at the 2020 census. Being located on Interstate 93 as the first town in New Hampshire, which lacks any state sales tax, Salem has grown into a commer ...

. The company stated its interest in using the facility to launch horseracing operations on the site, making New Hampshire the fourth state in which Churchill Downs would operate horse racing. In February 2022, Churchill Downs announced their agreement to purchase

Peninsula Pacific Entertainment Peninsula Pacific Entertainment (P2E) is a casino gaming company based in Los Angeles. It began operations in 1999, doing business through a subsidiary, Peninsula Gaming. Its holdings grew to five properties, until 2012, when Peninsula Gaming was ...

for $2.5bn (£1.84bn/€2.19bn). This included Churchill Downs to gain assets in Virginia and New York, in addition to the operations of its Hard Rock-branded Sioux City casino property in Iowa. In November 2022, the company acquired the bulk of the assets of

for $2.8 billion. The acquisition added three major properties (

Colonial Downs Colonial Downs is a Race track, racetrack located in New Kent County, Virginia adjacent to Interstate 64, halfway between Richmond, Virginia, Richmond and Williamsburg, Virginia, Williamsburg. The track conducted Thoroughbred flat racing and Standa ...

, Del Lago Resort & Casino, and

Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Sioux City Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Sioux City is a casino hotel in Sioux City, Iowa. It is owned and operated by Churchill Downs, Inc. History The proposal for Hard Rock Casino Sioux City was announced in October 2012. The $100-million project would be deve ...

) to Churchill Downs's portfolio, along with the

Rosie's Gaming Emporium Rosie's Gaming Emporium is a chain of gambling parlors in the U.S. state of Virginia, owned by Churchill Downs, Inc. and affiliated with its Colonial Downs racetrack. The Rosie's brand was established in 2019. As of 2023, there are seven Rosie ...

chain of historical racing parlors in Virginia, and the proposed One Casino & Resort in

Richmond, Virginia (Thus do we reach the stars) , image_map = , mapsize = 250 px , map_caption = Location within Virginia , pushpin_map = Virginia#USA , pushpin_label = Richmond , pushpin_m ...

Economics and stock

Churchill Downs Incorporated is listed on the

NASDAQ The Nasdaq Stock Market () (National Association of Securities Dealers Automated Quotations Stock Market) is an American stock exchange based in New York City. It is the most active stock trading venue in the US by volume, and ranked second ...

as CHDN. The company is the most profitable track owner in the horse racing industry.

Holdings

Churchill Downs Incorporated owns the following racetrack and casino properties: * Calder Casino —

Miami Gardens, Florida Miami Gardens is a city in north-central Miami-Dade County, Florida. It is located north of Downtown Miami with city boundaries that stretch from I-95 and Northeast 2nd Avenue to its east to Northwest 47th and Northwest 57th Avenues to its west ...

—

New Kent County, Virginia New Kent County is a county in the eastern part the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of the 2020 United States Census, its population was 22,945. Its county seat is New Kent. New Kent County is included in the Greater Richmond Region. History Ne ...

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Del Lago Resort and Casino del Lago Resort and Casino is a casino hotel in Tyre, New York, owned and operatedo by Churchill Downs, Inc. It opened in 2017 at a cost of $440 million. Facilities The casino features 1,702 slot machines, 66 table games, and 14 poker tables. ...

—

Tyre, New York Tyre is a town in Seneca County, New York, United States. The population was 1,002 at the 2020 census. The town is named after the Lebanese city of Tyre. The Town of Tyre is located in the northeastern part of the county, northeast of Geneva ...

—

* Fair Grounds Race Course and Slots —

New Orleans, Louisiana New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans
Merriam-Webster. ; french: La Nouvelle-Orléans , es, Nuev ...

—

Sioux City, Iowa Sioux City () is a city in Woodbury and Plymouth counties in the northwestern part of the U.S. state of Iowa. The population was 85,797 in the 2020 census, making it the fourth-largest city in Iowa. The bulk of the city is in Woodbury County, ...

—

Refuge, Mississippi Refuge is an unincorporated community located in Washington County, Mississippi, United States. Refuge Landing was located west of the settlement, directly on the Mississippi River. History Francis Griffin purchased land in 1831 on a high ridge b ...

—

Farmington, Pennsylvania Farmington is an unincorporated community and census-designated place in Wharton Township, Fayette County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is located along U.S. Route 40, the National Road, about southeast of Pittsburgh, and is the closest set ...

—

Turtlecreek Township, Ohio Turtlecreek Township is one of the eleven civil township, townships of Warren County, Ohio, Warren County, Ohio, United States. It is in the central part of the county and surrounds the county seat of Lebanon, Ohio, Lebanon. Turtlecreek is the l ...

(50% stake) * Newport Racing & Gaming —

Newport, Kentucky Newport is a list of Kentucky cities, home rule-class city at the confluence of the Ohio River, Ohio and Licking River (Kentucky), Licking rivers in Campbell County, Kentucky, Campbell County, Kentucky. The population was 15,273 at the 2010 United ...

* Oak Grove Racing, Gaming & Hotel —

Oak Grove, Kentucky Oak Grove is a home rule-class city adjacent to the Fort Campbell army base in Christian County, Kentucky, in the United States. The population was 7,489 as of the 2010 U.S. Census. It is part of the Clarksville, Tennessee metropolitan area. Hi ...

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Berlin, Maryland Berlin is a town in Worcester County, Maryland, United States which includes its own historical Berlin Commercial District. The population was 4,485 at the 2010 census, and has since grown in population. It is part of the Salisbury, Maryland-D ...

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— Summit Township, Pennsylvania * Rivers Casino —

Des Plaines, Illinois Des Plaines is a city in Cook County, Illinois, United States. Per the 2020 census, the population was 60,675. The city is a suburb of Chicago and is located just north of O'Hare International Airport. It is situated on and is named after the ...

(62% stake) *

Riverwalk Casino Hotel Riverwalk may refer to: Paths and trails Australia * Brisbane Riverwalk * Surfers Riverwalk, Gold Coast Canada * Jack and Jean Leslie RiverWalk, in Downtown Calgary, Alberta Mexico * Santa Lucía riverwalk in Monterrey, Nuevo León Unite ...

—

Florence, Kentucky Florence is a home rule-class city in Boone County, Kentucky, United States. Florence is the second largest city located in Northern Kentucky, after Covington, and part of the Greater Cincinnati Metropolitan Area. The population was 31,946 at ...

The company's other business holdings include: * Bluff Media *

*TwinSpires *

United Tote United Tote is an American company that provides totalizator equipment and services for parimutuel wagering at racetracks. It is owned by Churchill Downs, Inc. History United Tote was founded in the 1950s by the Shelhamer family of Montana. ...

References

{{coord, 38.254977, N, 85.580740, W, type:landmark, display=title Horse racing companies Horse racing venue owners Companies listed on the Nasdaq Gambling companies of the United States Companies based in Louisville, Kentucky