LOUISVILLE, Ky., Sept. 04, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — The 146th running of the $1.25 million Longines Kentucky Oaks (Grade I) saw Shedaresthedevil claim the Lillies in the fastest Kentucky Oaks race in history at 1:48.28. Shedaresthedevil crossed the finish line first in a field of nine under sunny skies and fast track conditions.
“Congratulations to the connections of Shedaresthedevil and special thanks to all of the horse owners, trainers and jockeys who enthusiastically cooperated through a number of protocol changes this year,” said Kevin Flanery, President of Churchill Downs Racetrack. “We were thrilled to be able to host a virtual Survivors tribute and to continue our charitable partnership with Norton Breast Health Center and Derby Divas.”Shedaresthedevil, owned by Qatar Racing, Flurry Racing Stables and Big Aut Farms and bred in Kentucky by WinStar Farm, LLC, passed ultimate third-place finisher Gamine at the 1/8th pole and held off a late run from runner-up Swiss Skydiver to win the Longines Kentucky Oaks by 1 1/2 lengths at odds of 15-1 in a final time of 1:48.28, the fastest in Kentucky Oaks history. Jockey Florent Geroux and trainer Brad Cox connected for their second Oaks victory, having also shared victory in 2018 with today’s La Troienne victor, Monomoy Girl. Shedaresthedevil is the daughter of Daredevil out of Starship Warpspeed and now has lifetime earnings of over $1.2 million.The Kentucky Oaks Survivors Parade presented by Kroger was celebrated virtually on Kentucky Derby social media channels with a video montage of the 146 survivors’ powerful and uplifting stories. The Kentucky Oaks Survivors Parade celebrates individuals who are battling or have overcome breast or ovarian cancer. Those selected for this year’s Survivors Parade will be given the opportunity to march down Churchill Downs’ historic homestretch prior to the running of the Kentucky Oaks in 2021.The Churchill Downs Incorporated Foundation donated $50,000 to benefit the Breast Health Program at Norton Cancer Institute and helped raise an additional $15,000 through online donations to ensure underserved women have access to mammograms and other key services to help prevent, detect and treat breast cancer. Churchill Downs has contributed over $1 million to charitable partnerships dedicated to the early detection and prevention of breast and ovarian cancer through its annual Kentucky Oaks “Pink Out.”Wagering from all-sources on the full Kentucky Oaks race card totaled $30.8 million compared to $60.2 million on the 2019 Kentucky Oaks. All-sources wagering on the Kentucky Oaks race was $10.0 million compared to $19.4 million from last year’s Kentucky Oaks race. The decline in handle for the Oaks race card was primarily a result of lower field sizes, a heavy favorite in the Oaks race, and a lack of on-track wagering.About Churchill Downs IncorporatedChurchill Downs Incorporated is an industry-leading racing, online wagering and gaming entertainment company anchored by our iconic flagship event, the Kentucky Derby. We own and operate Derby City Gaming, a historical racing machine facility in Louisville, Kentucky. We also own and operate the largest online horse racing wagering platform in the U.S., TwinSpires.com, and we operate sports betting and iGaming through our BetAmerica platform in multiple states. We are a leader in brick-and-mortar casino gaming with approximately 11,000 slot machines and video lottery terminals and 200 table games in eight states. Additional information about CDI can be found online at www.churchilldownsincorporated.com.Certain statements made in this news release contain various “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the “safe harbor” provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements are typically identified by the use of terms such as “anticipate,” “believe,” “could,” “estimate,” “expect,” “intend,” “may,” “might,” “plan,” “predict,” “project,” “seek,” “should,” “will,” and similar words or similar expressions (or negative versions of such words or expressions).Although we believe that the expectations reflected in such forward-looking statements are reasonable, we can give no assurance that such expectations will prove to be correct. Important factors, among others, that may affect actual results or outcomes include the following: the impact of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic and related economic matters on our results of operations, financial conditions and prospects; the effect of economic conditions on our consumers’ confidence and discretionary spending or our access to credit; additional or increased taxes and fees; public perceptions or lack of confidence in the integrity of our business or any deterioration in our reputation; loss of key or highly skilled personnel; restrictions in our debt facilities limiting our flexibility to operate our business; general risks related to real estate ownership, including fluctuations in market values and environmental regulations; catastrophic events and system failures disrupting our operations; online security risk, including cyber-security breaches; inability to recover under our insurance policies for damages sustained at our properties in the event of inclement weather and casualty events; increases in insurance costs and inability to obtain similar insurance coverage in the future; inability to identify and complete acquisition, expansion or divestiture projects, on time, on budget or as planned; difficulty in integrating recent or future acquisitions into our operations; costs and uncertainties relating to the development of new venues and expansion of existing facilities; risks associated with equity investments, strategic alliances and other third-party agreements; inability to respond to rapid technological changes in a timely manner; inadvertent infringement of the intellectual property of others; inability to protect our own intellectual property rights; payment-related risks, such as risk associated with fraudulent credit card and debit card use; compliance with the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act or applicable money-laundering regulations; risks related to pending or future legal proceedings and other actions; inability to negotiate agreements with industry constituents, including horsemen and other racetracks; work stoppages and labor issues; changes in consumer preferences, attendance, wagering and sponsorship with respect to Churchill Downs Racetrack and the Kentucky Derby; personal injury litigation related to injuries occurring at our racetracks; weather and other conditions affecting our ability to conduct live racing; the occurrence of extraordinary events, such as terrorist attacks and public health threats; changes in the regulatory environment of our racing operations; increased competition in the horse racing business; difficulty in attracting a sufficient number of horses and trainers for full field horse races; our inability to utilize and provide totalizator services; changes in regulatory environment of our online horse wagering business; A reduction in the number of people wagering on live horse races; increase in competition in our online horse racing wagering business; uncertainty and changes in the legal landscape relating to our online horse racing wagering business; continued legalization of online sports betting and iGaming in the United States and our ability to predict and capitalize on any such legalization; inability to expand our sports betting operations and effectively compete; failure to manage risks associated with sports betting; failure to comply with laws requiring us to block access to certain individuals could result in penalties or impairment with respect to our mobile and online wagering products; increased competition in our casino business; changes in regulatory environment of our casino business; concentration and evolution of slot machine manufacturing and other technology conditions that could impose additional costs; and inability to collect gaming receivables from the customers to whom we extend credit.We do not undertake any obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law.
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