Churchill Downs Hosts Live NASDAQ 'Opening Bell' Ceremony

24 April 2006

LOUISVILLE, Kentucky – (PRESS RELEASE) -- Churchill Downs Incorporated ("CDI" or "Company") (NASDAQ: CHDN) will ring in the start of Kentucky Derby week festivities in truly unique fashion the morning of Tuesday, May 2, when CDI President and Chief Executive Officer Thomas H. Meeker joins NASDAQ Executive Vice President Bruce Aust to open The NASDAQ Stock Market live from Churchill Downs racetrack.

Meeker and Aust - along with CDI employees, horsemen and local dignitaries - will ring the "NASDAQ opening bell" remotely to signal the start of NASDAQ's daily trading activity from the fourth-floor balcony of Churchill Downs' renovated clubhouse. The opening bell ceremony will take place right next to the track's signature Twin Spires, which for more than a century have symbolized the Churchill Downs brand and the Kentucky Derby, North America's premier horse race.

"We welcome the opportunity to celebrate the 132nd running of our famed 'Run for the Roses' while commemorating our 13th year as a publicly listed company on The NASDAQ Stock Market," said Mr. Meeker. "Through our affiliation with NASDAQ, Churchill Downs Incorporated has increased its visibility with the financial community and leveraged that attention to bring our Company's story of brand equity, technological innovation, management expertise and exceptional customer service to investors around the world."

"Churchill Downs Incorporated is a category-defining NASDAQ company that continues to set an industry standard among horse racing and gaming companies," said Mr. Aust. "While proactively seeking opportunities to grow its business by identifying new markets and distribution systems for its high-quality racing products, CDI continues to evolve cherished traditions, such as the Kentucky Derby, which are the foundation for the Company's success and the reason why Churchill Downs remains a household name. We congratulate the CDI team on 132 years of outstanding achievement."

The opening bell ceremony will be carried live via satellite on national media outlets and will appear simultaneously on NASDAQ's seven story tower in New York's Times Square. As part of the official "countdown" to The NASDAQ Stock Market opening bell, Churchill Downs bugler Steve Buttleman will play horse racing's traditional "Call to the Post" just before the sound of a racetrack starting gate bell signals the beginning of trading promptly at 9:30 a.m. EDT.

The NASDAQ Stock Market opening bell is a ceremonial event that represents The NASDAQ Stock Market's virtual market model. As a result, The NASDAQ Stock Market can be opened from any location as a symbolic representation of the trading day that brings together investors and market participants from around the world. This marks the fourth time CDI has opened The NASDAQ Stock Market, but the first time the home of the Kentucky Derby has actually played host to the opening bell ceremony.

CDI was first listed on The NASDAQ Stock Market in 1993. Since that time, the Company's holdings have grown from one racetrack in Louisville, Ky., to six racetracks, 22 off-track betting facilities and racing-related services companies spread over four states. In that timeframe, the Company's market cap has more than tripled.

Media representatives wishing to coverage the live opening bell ceremony should park in the Longfield Avenue lot and enter Churchill Downs at Gate 10, then take the clubhouse elevators to the fourth floor. CDI personnel will direct media crews to the balcony where the NASDAQ opening ceremony and live television broadcast will take place. Media crews should be in place no later than 9 a.m. EDT as access to the fourth-floor balcony will be restricted after that time. The opening bell ceremony will begin at 9:15 a.m. EDT and end shortly after the market opens at 9:30 a.m. EDT.