Churchill Downs will be transformed into Louisville’s
ultimate nighttime hot spot Saturday night as the historic Louisville, Kentucky,
racetrack presents another popular installment of “Downs After Dark.”
Billed as “Homecoming Dance: A Night to Remember,” the “Downs
After Dark” program is the centerpiece of closing weekend festivities as Churchill Downs
presents the final three days of racing in its new four-week September meet.
Friday’s 10-race program, featuring the City’s Best Happy
Hours! from 4-7 p.m. (EDT), will begin at 1:45 p.m. Saturday’s
special 11-race evening event starts at 6 p.m. The first race for Sunday’s
10-race finale, including Family Fun Day from 11:30 a.m. to
4 p.m., is 12:45 p.m.
Saturday’s special nighttime racing and entertainment
extravaganza is sure to be “everything your Homecoming Dance should have been —
and more …” Imagine yourself in a dance scene from your favorite high school
movie. Guests are encouraged to grab an outfit from their closet inspired by
their own high school experience or to wear their favorite homecoming
dance-style outfit. There’ll even be a chance for someone to be crowned
Churchill Downs’ Homecoming King or Queen prior to the 8TH race.
Entertainment in the spacious 30,000-square foot Plaza
adjacent to the Paddock — typically the heartbeat of the “Downs After Dark”
party — includes a Sounds Unlimited Productions DJ from 4-7:30 p.m. and a
performance by Radiotronic, which will bring the best music of the ’80s, ’90s
and today, from 8 p.m. until closing time at 11:30 p.m. Meanwhile, there also
will be music by The Wilson Brothers on the Clubhouse’s fifth floor balcony and
a DJ at the Gate 17 entrance.
Other entertainment includes the return of the popular
text-to-win sweepstakes “Bet or No Bet.” Four lucky
on-track patrons will face a tough decision: to place a $1,000 win bet on a
horse in the upcoming race or take a $100 Thornton’s gift card. The promotion
will be held on the 6TH, 7TH, 9TH and 10TH races.
The featured drink of the night at select locations around
the facility will be “Sweet Home Apple Pie,” a tasty concoction featuring el
Jimador tequila.
Admission gates will open at 4 p.m. and the first of 11
live races will begin at 6 p.m. The final live race will be 11:10 p.m. Cover
charge (general admission) to all “Downs After Dark” events is $10. Holders of
shareholders passes or horsemen licenses and children age 12 and under (when
accompanied by an adult) will be admitted free of charge. No one under the age
of 18 will be admitted to the track unless they are accompanied by a parent or
responsible adult.
Reserved seating is available. Outdoor third-floor box
seats are $20 and include general admission, a box seat in the third-floor
clubhouse and an official program. Tickets can be
purchased online. The indoor dining packages in Millionaires Row
($59.90 per person and includes a delectable buffet dinner, reserved seat and
official program) are virtually sold out.
The marquee entertainment event is coupled with stellar
racing action. Fort Larned is preparing for a defense of his Breeders’ Cup Classic
title with a run in the inaugural $175,000 Homecoming Classic, a 1
1/8-mile test for three-year-olds and up that is the most lucrative race of the
September meet. One race later, a competitive field of nine sophomores will
contest the 36th running of the Grade 3, $100,000 Jefferson Cup at one
mile on the Matt Winn Turf Course.
The Homecoming Classic and Jefferson Cup will run as the 7TH (9:05 p.m.) and 8TH (9:39 p.m.)
races, respectively. The Jefferson will be the first
leg of a $100,000 guaranteed Late Pick 4 pool that covers races 8-11. Bettors
are challenged to pick four consecutive winners in the thought-provoking
sequence of races that feature competitive fields of nine, 10, 12 and 10
entrants.
Saturday’s weather will be ideal. The National Weather
Service forecast for Louisville calls for sunny skies with a high near 84
degrees and a low around 64. Sunset will be 7:30 p.m., which follows the 4TH race.
Closing week kicks off Friday at 1:45 p.m. with the final
City’s Best Happy Hours! of the September meet with drink specials ($2 Budweiser
and Bud Lights and $3 Stella Artois) and food trucks (Get It On a Bun at Booty’s
Diner and The Traveling Kitchen) in the Plaza from 4-7 p.m. Live music by
Kudmani, who perform cover songs from the ’60s, ’70s, ’80s, ’90s and today, will
begin on the Plaza stage at 3 p.m.
Sunday’s closing day card will be complemented by Family
Fun Days. The 10-race program, which begins at 12:45 p.m.,
will showcase family-focused activities on the Plaza Balcony throughout the day
from 11:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Kids 12 and younger are invited to enjoy games,
crafts, visits from the popular mascot Churchill Charlie and a special closing
day treat: the Honey Hill Farms Mobile Petting Zoo and Pony Rides in the Plaza
until 3:30 p.m. Kids can throw on jockey silks and ride a miniature horse.
The
petting zoo will include animals such as rabbits, chickens, ducks, sheep, goats,
alpacas and a miniature horse and donkey. Also, Kona Ice of Louisville will be
on hand to serve premium tropical-shaved ice treats, and Cookies and Canvas will
give children the opportunity to paint while enjoying a tasty treat.
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