Inside look: The view from a $16,000 seat on Derby Day at Churchill Downs’ new paddock

After two years of construction, Churchill Downs gave a preview of its $200 million paddock renovations ahead of its public debut on the opening night of its Spring Meet on April 27, and more importantly, for its use at the 2024 Kentucky Derby.

The renovations add 3,600 seats and 7,000-square feet of guest space with tiered experiences, including general admission spaces and two premium club experiences.

The two premium guest areas are the Woodford Reserve Paddock Club and the SI Club. These two clubs have semi-transparent glass viewing behind the paddock stalls and into the tunnel to the track. On Derby and Oaks weekend the ticket price for these experiences ranges from $7,000 to $16,000 a seat.

“I don’t know of any other race track around the world that you have an underground type of club experience. It’s very similar to say, the Dallas Cowboys running out of their locker room at half time through their private club,” said Darren Rogers, the senior director of communications and media services for Churchill Downs.

“The paddock is the heartbeat of any race track. This type of paddock delivers a really unique experience for all the different types of guests.”

Rogers touted the paddock renovations as “the most transformational” renovation in the past two decades.

“Right when you walk through the paddock gate you’ll see horses saddled beneath the Twin Spires. The Twin Spires are back in focus and that’s very important to us. This is incredibly satisfying,” he said.

This story was originally published April 25, 2024 at 7:53 AM.