Derby Experiences: Down Under to Down the Churchill Stretch

Photo of Kentucky Oaks scene from 2013 by Eclipse Sportswire

Half a hundred. Half a world away.

As their 50th birthdays were nearing, Doug and Dianne Gorman started thinking of a special way to celebrate the "Big 5-0."

The couple lives in Mount Isa, a mining city in the Australian state of Queensland, situated some 1,200 miles northwest of the capital, Brisbane. 

A raucous Aussie party? No, they had something else in mind.

There was only one thing they wanted to do to celebrate their May birthdays: visit Churchill Downs to watch the 140th edition of the Kentucky Derby.

BE THERE: The most affordable Derby Experience is up for grabs: get an Official Kentucky Derby Ticket Package with a great view of the start/finish line, open bar and much more.

“We have four couples and a single coming from Mount Isa who are close friends that have a great interest in horse racing and breeding,” Doug Gorman said. “The Derby is one of the premier race meetings in the world and as we have all experienced the ‘best’ race in the world, that being the Melbourne Cup, we thought it would be nice to go to one of the other world-premier racing events.

“Chris and Maria Wood own and race gallopers and harness horses in Australia with a number of major victories, including the Canberra Cup that was recently run and last year’s Victoria Derby for harness racing. The Woods have horses stabled at Coolmore Stud in Australia, and we are going to visit Coolmore in Lexington while we’re over there.”

The balance of the group includes two men who are avid bettors, another man and three women (one Californian) coming along for the experience.

Gorman is an executive for Aurizon, a rail freight company that moves on average more than 700,000 tons of coal, iron ore, other minerals and general freight each day. Last fall, he did an extensive Google search on “tickets to the Kentucky Derby”  and settled on Derby Experiences.

The Aussie gang purchased a package with third-floor grandstand seats for the Kentucky Oaks and the Kentucky Derby. It also includes a ticket to “Taste of the Derby Party” on Thursday night, access to the Affirmed Lounge and an elevated view of the stretch. The Affirmed Lounge includes live-wagering tellers, complimentary beer, wine, and soft drinks, an all-you-can-eat lunch buffet, live entertainment with American Idol finalist Elise Testone, simulcast TV coverage and a meet and greet with a celebrity jockey. The sold-out package cost is  $1,499 per person.

Still available from Derby Experiences is the Grandstand Blue ($2,149 per person, double occupancy), and Grandstand Aqua ($1,449 person, double occupancy). Derby Experiences is the “Official Experience Package Provider” to Churchill Downs for the Oaks and Derby day races.

“The Kentucky Derby is an iconic event and the demand for Derby Experiences packages continues to grow as more and more people want to experience these spectacular sports and entertainment events in a very special way,” said Brian Learst, chief executive officer of QuintEvents, based in Charlotte, N.C.
“The new Churchill Downs’ venues and attractions that will be unveiled for this year’s  Derby and Oaks offer expanded seating and hospitality opportunities. We’ve created a new ‘Fillies & Lilies Party’ on Oaks night and other new packages to accommodate additional fans with unique and unforgettable experiences during Kentucky Derby week in Louisville.”

The Kentucky Derby Museum will host the inaugural “Fillies & Lilies Party.” It follows the running of the Kentucky Oaks on May 2. Located a short stroll from Oaks seating at Churchill Downs, the museum party features a concert by 5-time Grammy Award winner Wynonna Judd and The Big Noise. 
The evening's celebration also will include appearances by Nichole Galicia and Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders, along with southern cuisine, drinks, a bourbon lounge and other featured entertainment.

Other new venues and seating in 2014 include the Grandstand Terrace, located in the Grandstand section adjacent to the upper portion of the track's famed homestretch. Those new and updated sections on the third floor Grandstand (sections 326-328) offer an elevated view with 5-row seating for increased visibility, overlook the Kentucky Derby starting gate and provide a spectacular view of the far turn and upper stretch. This is where the winners of the Derby and Oaks unleash powerful moves to win those iconic races.

A sparkling, new scoreboard has been installed. Churchill Downs’ massive new “Big Board” is a state-of-the-art 4K LED video board measuring more than 15,000 square feet and located along the track's backstretch. The racetrack has teamed with Panasonic to create the $12-million video board that will provide images of unprecedented size and clarity of the celebration, the fashion and the excitement of racing on Derby and Oaks days. 

As for Doug and Dianne Gorman, they plan to soak it all up. 

The couple has previously visited Bluegrass country, turning up at Keeneland Race Course and the Kentucky Horse Park. The rolling, green countryside is a sharp contrast to the environs back home.

“We hail from a mining town in the middle of a desert where the temperature is around 40 Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit) for nine months of the year,” Doug said. “For us just to see green grass is a big cause to celebrate, let alone experiencing a country that compared to us has water reserves and rivers that we all just dream about.

“It’s wonderful that our close friends are coming to help us enjoy this milestone. We will talk about this adventure for years and years.”