Churchill Downs Spring Racing Tickets
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Louisville, KY
Louisville, KY
Louisville, KY
Louisville, KY
Louisville, KY
Louisville, KY
Louisville, KY
Louisville, KY
Louisville, KY
Louisville, KY
Overall Rating
4.1
By JujuSunshine
Birthday at the Races
It was the last day at the Track. We organized a family trip as it was my Husband birthday and he likes the track. Tickets were easy to buy on Ticketmaster and lots of selection. Only problem that day was the 105 degree weather! Churchill downs is a great Venue, easy to get around and people are friendly. Will return when it is a little Cooler!
By Niemrocks
THURBY
Churchill Downs is a great venue for horse racing!! Especially on Derby week. The only downfall to Thursday is, they are not prepared for the crowd and the prices are high. Overall, it is still a good time and we will probably go again because to go on a day closer to the Derby cost 3 times more!!
By LouisvilleBornandBred
Dawn at Downs
The event is a wonderful event and we had a perfect day. We were in the Stakes Room in the Tavern, I think. The tickets are too expensive for the quality of the food. This was by far, the worst food I have ever (NOT) eaten at Churchill Downs. The eggs did not resemble eggs but a powdered concoction and the bacon was too under cooked for me to be brave enough to try. I tasted the "gravy" with a biscuit and the consistency was as if it had been thickened with cornstarch, which every good Southerner knows is not right. PLEASE improve the food so I can return for a lovely morning.
By Redd4rr
Food was mediocre at best
I was very excited to be attending Dawn at the Downs. I had been several years ago and was really looking forward to a great breakfast and enjoying the thoroughbreds. I was very disappointed. The scrambled eggs were WET, a big No for me. The hash browns were actually mashed potatoes (no, that isn't a Kentucky thing). I almost broke my plastic fork trying to cut the biscuit open. The gravy, as the Colonel would say, "tasted like wallpaper paste" and the sausage was some color I have never seen, it looked ghostly. The bacon, well it was, for all intents and purposes, raw. The only fruit was watermelon and pineapple, not a berry to be found for the belgian waffles. The pastry selection was various types of pound cake...very disappointing. We went out on the observation area to see the Derby and Oaks horses workout but decided to go down to the rail for a better view. Would I recommend Dawn at the Downs...No, I would not. Not at $50. Next year I will have a nice breakfast at a restaurant and purchase a $20 general admission ticket and be closer to horses. That's my Derby tip. Oh, and wear sensible shoes!
By CDRACEFAN
Day is great - Parking not so mcuh
Thurby is a great event and I will go back. Parking, more specifically, the lack of free parking, is very disappointing.
By Jess112345
Hometown Dissappointment
Unfortunately I was less than impressed with Churchill this year...sad to say as Louisville is my hometown, and I love this place. However, I expected much better service when paying for box seats. The prices for "Thurby" have already risen to a ridiculous amount (long gone are the days of locals hitting the track on Thursday for a $3 general admission fee). Only having 3 betting windows open is just insane, and most times the line was too long to get a bet in before the next race. It was disappointing that I found better lines and service in the general admission areas. I'm guessing all windows were open for folks on Oaks Day...come on Churchill, get it together and start taking care of your locals who support you all year long, not just two days a year.
By Anonymous
Get ready for long lines and very expressive food and drinks
By Calypso11
Thurby was great , but food included with seats w!
Thurby was great!! Food was included with our $83 seats. Good was at best dreadful!!! Beer was warm! Dessert was store bought cookies. Expected better!! Food was great last year. Love Thurby but will never buy theses seats again!!
By CoolKYmama
Day at the track
We had a great day at the track - the Tuesday before Derby. Great weather, great drinks and food.
By BucketListDisappointed
Save your $$
Like everything else at Churchill Downs, Thurby was way over priced, way over crowded, and the food was very disappointing. Too few betting machines, so lines were far too long. Section 107 was well hidden, and none of the Downs employees could steer us in the right direction. We spend over an hour looking for our seats, and were directed from one end of the track to the other (who knew you had to enter Sec 107 through the gate for Sec 110??). None of the touted bands throughout the Downs....just one rock band at the entrance.
Info
About Churchill Downs
Churchill Downs is located in Louisville, Kentucky. The 147-acre venue serves as home to the annual Kentucky Derby and hosts three thoroughbred horse racing events during spring, September and other fall months. The Kentucky Derby is held on the one-mile dirt oval track, which is featured alongside a seven-furlong turf course. Over 5,000 horses cycle through Churchill Downs on a yearly basis for the Kentucky Derby, Kentucky Oaks and other thoroughbred races.
The legendary track is known as much for its architecture and fashion as its events. The Twin Spires towering over the grandstand is perhaps Churchill Downs' most prominent aesthetic feature. Other than the grandstand, racegoers can sit in Millionaires Row, Sky Terrace, Turf Club or Clubhouse areas. The Kentucky Derby has become synonymous with 170,000-plus spectators arriving in lavish hats, dresses and suits, adding character to a spectacle that already has the longest-running history of any continual American sporting event in history.
Churchill Downs has welcomed the Breeders' Cup World Championship, a two-day, season-ending extravaganza involving horses, jockeys, trainers and owners worldwide, on eight separate occasions.
History of Churchill Downs
Churchill Downs was built upon 80 acres purchased by Colonel Meriwether Lewis Clark Jr. from his uncles, Henry and John Churchill, in 1872. The debut race was held May 17, 1875, and consisted of the Kentucky Derby, Kentucky Oaks and Clark Handicap. The inaugural Kentucky Derby was captured by Aristides, while Bonaventure won the first ever overall race held at the track.
Churchill Downs has always held a certain pedigree, although the track didn't turn its first profit until 1903. Eventually, in 1938, Matt Winn was named president and dedicated a committee to turn Churchill Downs into a nonprofit that donated $1.5 million over 10 years. Decades later, another substantial change took place as president Steve Sexton initiated a renovation process during the years 2002-03. In 2009, Kevin Flanery took over as president where he remained in the position until 2020. Michael W. Anderson was named the 14th president of Churchill Downs Racetrack on December 22, 2020.