A crowd of 153,563 witnessed Kentucky Derby history on Saturday as
Double Eagle Ranch and Buena Suerte Equine’s Mine That Bird scored a
stunning upset at odds of 50-1 and captured the 135th Kentucky Derby
Presented by Yum! Brands by 6 3/4 lengths in a field of 19.
The attendance figure marks the ninth time that Kentucky Derby Day
attendance has topped 150,000. Combined attendance for the 2009 Kentucky
Derby and Kentucky Oaks was 258,430, exceeding the combined attendance
of both events from one year prior.
Excluding the Kentucky Derby race, total wagering from all sources on
the Kentucky Derby Day card was $51,406,269, up 2.6 percent from the
2008 figure of $50,110,812. Total wagering from all sources on the
13-race Kentucky Derby Day card at Churchill Downs was $155,969,770, a
decline of 5.3 percent from the $164,668,176 wagered a year earlier.
Total wagering from all sources on the Kentucky Derby race, which
includes on-track and off-track wagers, was $104,563,501, an 8.7-percent
decrease from the $114,557,364 all-sources total in 2008.
“The Churchill Downs team would like to extend its congratulations to
all those involved with Mine That Bird on his historic victory in this
year’s 135th running of the Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands,”
said Churchill Downs Incorporated Chief Operating Officer Bill
Carstanjen. “We welcomed an impressive and enthusiastic crowd under the
Twin Spires this year, and appreciate the support that the entire
Louisville community continues to deliver. Despite the very difficult
economy, we were able to offer a strong card of racing that produced
solid overall handle figures. Today was truly a Kentucky Derby to
remember.”
Race fans generated a Super Hi-5 carryover pool of $251,865 and a Pick 6
carryover pool of $781,146. Churchill Downs will resume its 2009 Spring
Meet on Wednesday, May 6, with post time at 12:45 p.m. EDT.
Churchill Downs returned $127,825,423 to bettors on the Kentucky Derby
Day race card, which amounts to 82 percent of total wagering. The
Commonwealth of Kentucky benefited from $789,241 in revenues generated
through the state’s excise tax on pari-mutuel wagering.
Mine That Bird’s unlikely win in Kentucky Derby 135 gave his owners
their first Kentucky Derby victory. It was also the first Derby win for
trainer Bennie “Chip” Woolley Jr., who was making his first appearance
in the race. The victory was the second for jockey Calvin Borel in the
“Run for the Roses,” who also captured the 2009 Oaks/Derby double by
virtue of his win aboard favored Rachel Alexandra in Kentucky Oaks 135
one day earlier.