Churchill to Offer Second Racing Club

In two days Churchill Downs Inc. sold out all 200 available memberships for its first racing club.

Because of the extraordinarily strong response, Churchill is forming a second club that will be open to another 200 people who are the first to register, according to Mike Ziegler, Churchill Downs' executive director of racing. The racing club, similar to others offered at Canterbury Park, Emerald Downs, and Hastings Park, provides a low-risk, low-cost experience with racehorse ownership.

As with the first club, shares sell for $500 each and the club's horse will be selected, trained, and raced by Hall of Famer D. Wayne Lukas. 

"Looks like now we'll have some in-house competition," Ziegler said.

The all-inclusive entry fee covers the cost of acquiring the horse and the training fees, which will be disclosed to club members. The club has been been organized as a 501(c)7, which is a not-for-profit social club. Churchill executives stress that people should not register with the expectation of making a profit. If the club's account does turn a profit, the members will decide how the money is distributed. They could even decide to buy a second horse.

Anyone interested can register at ChurchillDowns.com/RacingClub.