Re-entry prohibited on Derby/Oaks Days; selfie sticks,
drones banned
Churchill Downs will no longer allow
re-entry on Kentucky Derby (G1) and Kentucky Oaks (G1) days for ticketed patrons who leave
the grounds during those racing and entertainment programs.
The policy will be in effect beginning with this
year’s renewals of the $2 million Kentucky Derby on Saturday, May 2, and the $1
million Kentucky Oaks
on Friday, May 1. Churchill announced the policy change with the release
of its
annual update of items that are either permitted for carry-in at the
admission gates or prohibited on each of those days.
The list of items that cannot be carried into the
track by guests on Kentucky Oaks and Derby days was expanded to include selfie
sticks and remote-controlled aircraft, including drones.
The end of re-entry by ticketed patrons to the
track on Derby and Oaks days grew out of security issues regarding wait times at
entry gates and growing concern for patrons victimized by the sale of
counterfeit tickets and wristbands outside track gates.
“The decision to prohibit re-entry to ticketed
patrons who leave the grounds is a common security policy at major sports and
entertainment events and is long overdue at the home of the Kentucky Oaks and
Derby,” said Ryan Jordan, general manager of Churchill Downs Racetrack. “This
change in policy is intended to improve the arrival experience of our guests by
shortening the entry lines into the facility and to better safeguard our guests
from purchasing counterfeit tickets outside of our gates.
“Our previous re-entry policy made it a fairly simple task for ticketed
patrons to exit the track and quickly generate copies of their tickets and
wristbands for sale outside of our grounds. Those who purchase counterfeit items
are denied access when they arrive at our admission gates, and thus have lost
their money and, in many cases, the Kentucky Derby and Oaks experience they had
hoped for either becomes an unpleasant memory or is ended altogether.”
The addition of selfie sticks and remote-controlled aircraft to the roster
of prohibited items also grew out an increase in the popularity of drones and
concern for the safety of Derby and Oaks Day patrons, the horses competing in
races those days, and participating horsemen and members of their respective
staffs.
Patrons who arrive at Churchill Downs admission
gates with prohibited items will be required to return them to their vehicles or
dispose of them. The track and its security partners do not store prohibited or
excluded items for pick-up later in the day.
Churchill Downs also has made a change in the
Kentucky Derby and Oaks Day admission process at Gate 3, a popular entrance to
the infield located near 4th Street and Central Avenue. Guests who use that gate
will need to have their general admission tickets in hand before they approach
that gate.
Derby and Oaks general admission tickets are
currently available for online purchase at
www.KentuckyDerby.com — $55 in advance online or $60 at the gate for the
Derby, and $35 in advance or $40 at the gate for the Oaks. Patrons who wish
to purchase those tickets on Oaks and Derby days will be required to do so at a
sales center located at the track’s taxi cab lot at 4th and Central, which is
located across 4th from Gate 3. Once their tickets are in-hand, those patrons
will cross the street to enter Gate 3.
Like the new re-entry policy for ticketed patrons,
the adjusted admission process at Gate 3 is designed to ease congestion at that
entrance while shortening lines and accelerating entry to the infield.
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