Can slot machines rescue racing? Attendance at the nation's racetracks has been declining for decades, leaving busted, empty tracks across America" (Timmons 76). I would like to use Churchill Downs as a prime example of the progression of thoroughbred racing. It may be hard for those who are not from Louisville or from the state of Kentucky to understand the tradition of Churchill Downs as well as the intensity of the Kentucky Derby. But let me tell you, on the first Saturday in May, there is no place on earth quite like Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky. America's best-known three-year-old thoroughbreds run in the world's best-known horse race, which is the Kentucky Derby. .
Initially the Derby was just a horse race. In these years the Derby solidified its place as one of the three big events in American sports, along with the World Series and the Super Bowl. "For Louisvillians, Derby week is a nonstop festivity. The city of Louisville takes its Derby seriously, and many civic and governmental groups collaborate in planning and consuming the annual Kentucky Derby festival, one of the largest such celebrations in the United States and now includes some seventy events" (Hirsch 100). "For many racing executives, Derby week is a businessman's holiday during which they feel they can see more people and get more work done than at any other time of the year" (Hirsch 100).
As a proud resident of Louisville, Kentucky, I participate and attend the events in support of the Kentucky Derby and I would absolutely be devastated if my community could no long gather to enjoy the festivities surrounding and including the "greatest two minutes in sports". Churchill Downs has a magical feeling that is almost surreal. The sound of the horses galloping on to the track is so exciting, that it always brings fans to their feet shouting "Go baby go!" The smell of barbeque and expensive cigars linger in the air as workers sing, "Get you"re Mint Julips!" Women are dressed to impress, with elaborate hats and stunning outfits.
