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LOUISVILLE, Ky. — At Churchill Downs, where the Kentucky Derby attracts millions of dollars worth of horses and attracts worldwide attention, the cost of housing these prized thoroughbreds is surprisingly modest — a reality that becomes clear beyond the stands and away from the pageantry.
Here, in what is known as “the back of the Downs”, the track operates as a small self-contained community, with 47 barns housing the horses and up to 600 workers living and working on site.
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Approximately 1,400 horses fill the stables spread across the vast grounds of Churchill Downs. (Amanda Macias/PK Press Club Digital)
“Want to guess how much it costs to rent one of these stands at the most famous circuit in the world? asked Stan Bowling, senior tour guide at the Kentucky Derby Museum.
“$7.50.”
This modest daily fee stands in stark contrast to the high-stakes world of thoroughbred racing, where millions of people can invest in the preparation of a single horse.
“Every morning from mid-March through the end of the year, horses will be on the track training between 5:30 a.m. and 10:00 a.m.,” Bowling said.
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A view of the stables at Churchill Downs where renting a single stall costs $7.50. (Amanda Macias/PK Press Club Digital)
Driving a golf cart in the back, he added that as of mid-March, about 1,400 horses were on site.
The grounds also include dormitories, a chapel and even a small school – part of a parallel world to the show just steps away.
The back stretches to rows of mostly nondescript stalls, punctuated by a few bearing the names of famous horses and their jockeys.
Qualified horses arrive in early March to acclimate to the track and settle in at Churchill Downs, which hosts approximately 750 races each year. But no race holds the same weight as the Kentucky Derby, affectionately called the “fastest two minutes in sports,” the 12th in a series of 14 races that anchor the day’s events.
That same high-stakes investment carries over to the fan experience, where attending the Kentucky Derby can be very expensive.
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A view of the Kentucky Derby grandstand at Churchill Downs, where seats can range from $1,000 to more than $400,000. (Amanda Macias/PK Press Club Digital)
“It’s an expensive ticket, I’ll give you that, but for most people, coming to see the Kentucky Derby is a must-do event,” Bowling told PK Press Club Digital.
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Ticket prices range from around $160 to access the 26-acre grass field, where fans watch the race on large screens, to around $800 for some of the cheapest grandstand seats – while luxury experiences above the track can top $400,000.
