Ticket Center News

The economy as we all know is having it tough and therefore many are tightening their belts, however, ticket sales for the 2010 Kentucky Derby have picked up even if it has been a slow recovery.

Today marked the 136^th Run for the Roses and Churchill Downs with sales higher than last year. The 2009 event saw the smallest number of tickets sold since 2005 when the track was under renovation.

The Louisville, KY Courier-Journal published an article concerning ticket sales for the thoroughbred race is one of the most famous races in the United States and with sales as strong as they are, an expected sold out event is expected.

Bill Mudd, Churchill Downs’ Chief Financial Officer, talked with the reporter for the Courier-Journal and explained that corporate sales were lower and of course, a decrease in betting occurred in 2009, which led to a downturn in revenue. This year, the track has improved some of the higher end seating and created more parking spaces for those wishing to attend the races. With these improvements, the hope is a user-friendly experience. The infield tickets for the Kentucky Derby are normally sold for $40 and $25 for the Kentucky Oaks which is the thoroughbred race held every year on the Friday prior to the Derby.

Doug Dearen, owner of DerbyBox.com, stated, “The Derby sales have bounced back well from last year. 2009 was a difficult year due to the economy, as we saw many of our regular customers decide to just not attend. This year, many of the people who skipped last year returned.”

Zach Anderson, Chief Operating Officer of TicketCity, stated, “Demand for this year’s Derby has already surpassed 2009 and is likely to finish as the biggest we’ve seen since 2006. We’ve seen a sizeable increase over last year in first-time Derby buyers, and a lot of returning clients are back buying both Derby and Oaks.”