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Friday, Jul. 03, 2009

A good start for night racing at Churchill

LOUISVILLE — It was by no means perfect, inspiring an apology from the track itself at one point after its initial outing.

But while the three-card experiment of night racing at Churchill Downs had its share of missteps, it also produced some positive results that exceeded expectations of track officials and fans alike.

Three weeks after its first night, the final "Downs after Dark" card for the Spring Meet took place Thursday, capping what many deemed a most successful venture on Churchill's end.

When racing debuted under the temporary lights at the historic Louisville track on June 19, the success of pumping more than 28,000 fans through the turnstiles was overshadowed by the excessively long lines that kept patrons from even reaching the betting windows most of the evening.

To their credit, track officials responded by significantly bolstering the staff for the final two evenings and were rewarded with crowds of 27,623 on June 26 and 33,481 Thursday.

"What we learned I think is that the level of interest for night racing in Louisville is much greater than any of us could have hoped for," Darren Rogers, senior director of communications for Churchill Downs, said prior to Thursday's card. "The original plan going into this was let's offer numerous forms of entertainment for the first night but then scale back the offerings for week two and almost have a normal day of racing for the final night.

"But after the interest we got that first night we knew we were on to something. It was unlike any other experience many of us had had at other racetracks. It truly is an event."

Though Rogers said track officials would have to evaluate all the numbers before deciding to bring the lights back, early returns make it a solid bet Churchill patrons have not seen the last of its evening cards.

The on-track handle of $1,607,760 for the first outing was nearly $1 million better than the corresponding Friday the previous year. The second card produced similar results with a handle of $1,534,308 compared with $687,324 to the corresponding date in 2008.

"We realize we are on to something and have created a special event," Rogers said. "We want to figure out a way to continue to make this happen ... but the select nights have proven to be a winning formula thus far.

"It's been a significant investment, but 55,000-plus in attendance the first two nights is worth exploring."

When asked if Churchill would consider offering the added entertainment and specials during its regular cards, Rogers said "I don't know if we're ready to answer that question yet."

In a time when tracks are seeking ways to bring in new fans, Churchill has — so far — managed to find one concrete base to build off of.

"Really the atmosphere (has been my favorite part)," said Craig Johnson of Louisville, who was in attendance for Thursday's card. "It's catering more toward a younger, local crowd, sort of. You've got your big racing fans here, you've got your older people here, but it seems like with the bands and music it's more toward a younger demographic.

"I would definitely come back."