New All-Time Handle Record Set for Kentucky Derby Week Races
LOUISVILLE, Ky., May 02, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Churchill Downs Incorporated (Nasdaq: CHDN) (the “Company”, “CDI”, “we”) announced today that Golden Tempo claimed the Garland of Roses at the 152nd running of the Kentucky Derby presented by Woodford Reserve under partly sunny skies and the cheers of over 150,000 exuberant fans.
Golden Tempo, owned and bred by Phipps Stable and St. Elias Stable, trained by Cherie DeVaux, and ridden by Jose Ortiz, raced to the finish to win by a neck at 23-1 odds. Golden Tempo covered the mile and a quarter in 2:02.27 over a fast track. Sired by Curlin, Golden Tempo now has lifetime earnings of over $3.4 million. Cherie DeVaux made history as the first woman ever to train a Kentucky Derby winner. Jose Ortiz rode to victory in both the 152nd Kentucky Oaks and Kentucky Derby.
All-sources handle for Derby Week rose to a new record of $487 million, up $13 million or 3% from the prior record set in 2025. Wagering from all sources on the Kentucky Derby Day program was $340 million compared to last year’s record of $349 million. All-sources wagering on the Kentucky Derby race was $225 million, compared to last year’s record of $234 million.
TwinSpires, the official betting partner of the Kentucky Derby, handled a new record of $129 million1 in wagering on Churchill Downs races for Kentucky Derby Week, up $7 million or 6% from the prior record set in 2025. TwinSpires handled a new record of $89 million1 in wagering on the Kentucky Derby Day program, up 1% compared to last year’s record of $88 million1. TwinSpires’ handle on the Kentucky Derby race was $57 million1, flat to last year’s record.
The Company expects record-setting Adjusted EBITDA for Churchill Downs Racetrack on Derby Week with $15 to $18 million of Adjusted EBITDA growth compared to the prior year.
“We commend the connections of Golden Tempo on an exceptional victory in the 152nd running of the Kentucky Derby,” said Bill Carstanjen, CEO of CDI. “This year’s Kentucky Derby Week was a remarkable celebration of racing.”
1TwinSpires Horse Racing handle includes all settled future wagers and excludes handle generated by Velocity and national affiliates.
About Churchill Downs Incorporated
Churchill Downs Incorporated (“CDI”) (Nasdaq: CHDN) has created extraordinary entertainment experiences for over 150 years, beginning with the company’s most iconic and enduring asset, the Kentucky Derby. Headquartered in Louisville, Kentucky, CDI has expanded through the acquisition, development, and operation of live and historical racing entertainment venues, the growth of the online wagering businesses, and the acquisition, development, and operation of regional casino gaming properties. https://www.churchilldownsincorporated.com/
Use of Non-GAAP Measures
In addition to the results provided in accordance with GAAP, the Company also uses non-GAAP measures, including adjusted net income, adjusted diluted EPS, EBITDA (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization), and Adjusted EBITDA.
The Company uses non-GAAP measures as a key performance measure of the results of operations for purposes of evaluating performance internally. These measures facilitate comparison of operating performance between periods and help investors to better understand the operating results of the Company by excluding certain items that may not be indicative of the Company’s core business or operating results. The Company believes the use of these measures enables management and investors to evaluate and compare, from period to period, the Company’s operating performance in a meaningful and consistent manner. The non-GAAP measures are a supplemental measure of our performance that is not required by, or presented in accordance with, GAAP, and should not be considered as an alternative to, or more meaningful than, net income or diluted EPS (as determined in accordance with GAAP) as a measure of our operating results.
We use Adjusted EBITDA to evaluate segment performance, develop strategy, and allocate resources. We utilize the Adjusted EBITDA metric to provide a more accurate measure of our core operating results and enable management and investors to evaluate and compare from period to period our operating performance in a meaningful and consistent manner. Adjusted EBITDA should not be considered as an alternative to operating income as an indicator of performance, as an alternative to cash flows from operating activities as a measure of liquidity, or as an alternative to any other measure provided in accordance with GAAP. Our calculation of Adjusted EBITDA may be different from the calculation used by other companies and, therefore, comparability may be limited.
Adjusted net income and adjusted diluted EPS exclude discontinued operations net income or loss; net income or loss attributable to noncontrolling interests; transaction expense, which includes acquisition and disposition related charges, as well as legal, accounting, and other deal-related expense; pre-opening expense; and certain other gains, charges, recoveries, and expenses.
Adjusted EBITDA includes our portion of EBITDA from our equity investments and the portion of EBITDA attributable to noncontrolling interests.
Adjusted EBITDA excludes, as applicable in each period:
- Transaction expense, net which includes:
- Acquisition, disposition, and property sale related charges; and
- Other transaction expense, including legal, accounting, and other deal-related expense;
- Stock-based compensation expense;
- Rivers Des Plaines’ impact on our investments in unconsolidated affiliates from legal reserves and transaction costs;
- Asset impairments, net;
- Gain on property sales;
- Legal reserves;
- Pre-opening expense; and
- Other charges, recoveries, and expenses.
This news release contains 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,” “scheduled,” and similar words or similar expressions (or negative versions of such words or expressions), although some forward-looking statements are expressed differently.
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, that could cause actual results to differ materially from expectations include the following: the occurrence of extraordinary events, such as terrorist attacks, public health threats, civil unrest, and inclement weather, including as a result of climate change; the effect of economic conditions on our consumers’ confidence and discretionary spending or our access to credit, including the impact of inflation; changes in, or new interpretations of, applicable tax laws or rulings that could result in additional tax liabilities; the impact of any pandemics, epidemics, or outbreaks of infectious diseases, and related economic matters on our results of operations, financial conditions and prospects; lack of confidence in the integrity of our core businesses or any deterioration in our reputation; negative shifts in public opinion regarding gambling that could result in increased regulation of, or new restrictions on, the gaming industry; loss of key or highly skilled personnel, as well as general disruptions in the general labor market; the impact of significant competition, and the expectation that competition levels will increase; changes in consumer preferences, attendance, wagering, and sponsorships; risks associated with equity investments, strategic alliances and other third-party agreements; inability to respond to rapid technological changes in a timely manner; concentration and evolution of slot machine and historical racing machine (“HRM”) manufacturing and other technology conditions that could impose additional costs; failure to enter into or maintain agreements with industry constituents, including horsemen and other racetracks; cybersecurity risk, including cybersecurity breaches, or loss or misuse of our confidential information as a result of a breach including customers’ personal information, or IT system operational disruptions, could lead to government enforcement actions or other litigation; costs of compliance with increasingly complex laws and regulations regarding data privacy and protection of personal information; reliance on our technology services and catastrophic events, system failures, errors or defects disrupting our operations; inability to identify, complete, or fully realize the benefits of our proposed acquisitions, divestitures, development of new venues or the expansion of existing facilities on time, on budget, or as planned; difficulty in integrating recent or future acquisitions into our operations; cost overruns and other uncertainties associated with the development of new venues and the expansion of existing facilities; general risks related to real estate ownership and significant expenditures, including risks related to environmental liabilities; personal injury litigation related to injuries occurring at our racetracks; compliance with the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act or other similar laws and regulations, or applicable anti-money laundering regulations; payment-related risks, such as risk associated with fraudulent credit card or debit card use; work stoppages and labor problems; risks related to pending or future legal proceedings and other actions; highly regulated operations and changes in the regulatory environment could adversely affect our business; restrictions in our debt facilities limiting our flexibility to operate our business; failure to comply with the financial ratios and other covenants in our debt facilities and other indebtedness; increases to interest rates, disruption in the credit markets or changes to our credit ratings may adversely affect our business; increase in our insurance costs, or inability to obtain similar insurance coverage in the future, and any inability to recover under our insurance policies for damages sustained at our properties in the event of inclement weather and casualty events; and other factors described under the heading “Risk Factors” in our most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and in other filings we make with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
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.
Investor Contact: Sam Ullrich
(502) 638-3906
[email protected]
Media Contact: Breck Thomas-Ross
(502) 636-4506
[email protected]
A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/7a6549da-9e14-4298-a915-2f19d704baa4
