Churchill Concludes 38-Day Spring Meet

After opening with a Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (gr. I) and Longines Kentucky Oaks (gr. I) week that set records for attendance and wagering, the 2016 spring meet at Churchill Downs concluded July 2 with a "Downs After Dark" night racing and entertainment program.

The night card capped a 38-day session notable for the strength of its daily racing and stakes events, according to a release sent by the track. The release also noted "ongoing growth in its 'Twilight Thursday' celebrations... and an embrace by patrons of its $18 million investment in Clubhouse enhancements that included a reimagined and remodeled Turf Club, Director's Room and Stakes Room."

 

The 2016 spring meet featured a record Kentucky Oaks attendance and the second-largest total wagering and attendance in the 142-year history of the Kentucky Derby.

The meet was the first of three scheduled at Churchill Downs in 2016; the track's September meet is scheduled to run Sept. 16-Oct. 2, and the fall meet is set for an Oct. 30-Nov. 27 run.

 

The spring meet's racing highlights were topped by the authoritative triumph by Reddam Racing's then-unbeaten champion Nyquist in the May 7 Kentucky Derby. The victory by the son of Uncle Mo   provided stable owner J. Paul Reddam, trainer Doug O'Neill and jockey Mario Gutierrez with their second victories, respectively and as a team, in as many attempts in the first jewel of racing's Triple Crown.

 

All-sources wagering on the Kentucky Derby totaled $192.6 million, on-track wagering rose to $23.6 million and on-track attendance on the biggest day in American racing was 167,227. The totals ranked second in their respective categories in the long history of the Derby.



One day earlier, a record Kentucky Oaks crowd of 124,589 witnessed the victory by Cash Is King's Cathryn Sophia in the 142nd edition of America's top race for 3-year-old fillies. It was the first Kentucky Oaks triumph for the owner, trainer John Servis and jockey Javier Castellano. Servis has now earned victories in both of the greatest races at Churchill Downs, having won the Kentucky Derby in 2004 with Smarty Jones  .

 

Along with the establishment of an attendance record, the Kentucky Oaks celebration was an all-around success as the day resulted record and near-record totals on several business levels. All-sources wagering on the entire Oaks program on May 6 rose to $49 million, a 6% increase over the previous record established in 2015, while all-sources betting on the Oaks race itself was $15 million, down 2% from the record all-sources handle of $15.2 million a year earlier. On-track wagering of $12 million on the Oaks Day racing program was flat to wagering in 2015, while on-track wagering on the Oaks was a near-record $3 million, a dip of 4% from the 2015 record of $3.1 million.

 

The celebration of the Kentucky Derby and Oaks began with a record Kentucky Derby week of six days of racing that began with the opening night party on April 30 and concluded on Kentucky Derby Day. All-sources wagering rose to $266.8 million, up 1% from the previous record established in 2015, and attracted record-breaking total attendance of 376,980 fans, an increase of 3% from the 2015 record.

 

"The continued growth and success of the Kentucky Derby, Kentucky Oaks and the entire Kentucky Derby week is good news for Churchill Downs and the entire industry, but our team always works hard to extend that success throughout the two months of racing and entertainment that follow Derby Week and there are ample reasons to smile when we consider the results of the entire 38-day spring meet," said Kevin Flanery, president of Churchill Downs Racetrack. "We deeply thank our patrons and the horsemen who worked with us to provide a racing and entertainment product that continued to attract fans and participants throughout the meet and well after the Kentucky Derby and Oaks went into the books for another year.

"We were encouraged by patron response to our continued upgrade in facilities and exciting new events and traditions like our Twilight Thursdays, and we thank our on-track fans and those wagering at home via TwinSpires.com or at satellite wagering facilities for their ongoing support and enthusiasm for our product at Churchill Downs Racetrack."

The size of purses and the number of horses in race fields grew during the spring meet. Purses paid in 372 races over 38 days of racing totaled $21,397,556, an increase of 3.9% from the 2015 spring meet total of $20,601,382. Average daily purses paid during the racing session finished at $563,094, an increase of 3.9% from the 2015 Spring Meet average of $542,142. The average purse of a Churchill Downs spring meet race was $57,520, up 2.7% from $55,982 a year earlier.

 

The success of Kentucky Derby week racing resulted in an increase in purses for overnight races during the second half of the spring meet. Those purses rose by 4% on June 2.

 

The average size of the field for a Churchill Downs race during the just-completed meet was 8.03 starters per race, which was the highest average for the spring meet since 2012. The average field for a race during the 2015 spring meet was 7.78 horses, which was an increase from the 7.25 average in 2014.



 The race for leading trainer of the just-concluded meet ended in dramatic fashion as Mark Casse swept the closing night stakes races for 2-year-olds to earn the stable's first training crown since the 1988 spring meet. Casse and Mike Maker entered the 38th and final racing program tied at 18 victories, but Casse broke the deadlock with a victory by John C. Oxley's Classic Empire in the $100,000 Bashford Manor (gr. III) and quickly added to the triumph when Oxley's filly Pretty City Dancer won the Debutante to edge the five-time training champion Maker by a margin of 21-19. The Casse stable, overseen at Churchill by Casse's son and assistant trainer Norman Casse, ended the meet with an overall record of 21-12-6 in 67 races and earnings of $1,191,778.  

 

Corey Lanerie continued a run of championship performances reminiscent of Hall of Fame jockey and all-time Churchill win-leader Pat Day when he earned another leading rider crown in the spring meet. The Louisiana native piloted 52 winners to secure his 11th title in the past 12 meets at the Louisville track. Runner-up Julien Leparoux piloted 42 winners and ended the meet on a high note with the victories aboard Classic Empire and Pretty City Dancer.

Ken and Sarah Ramsey's domination in the competition for leading owner at Churchill continued as horses carrying their familiar red and white silks won 13 races during the spring racing session. With each new leading owner title the Ramseys break their record for all-time titles beneath the Twin Spires, and their spring meet 2016 crown extended the Nicholasville, Ky. couple's record total to 26 leading owner trophies. Overall, they've won 451 career races at Churchill Downs.

 

The partnership of Oxley and trainer Casse was fruitful and resulted in nine wins for the owner, which was good for the runner-up spot in the contest for leading owner. 

Claiming activity was brisk during the spring meet as 210 horses were claimed during the meet for a total of $4,327,000. The claiming activity generated $259,620 in sales tax revenue for the state of Kentucky.