LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- With Kentucky Derby interest reaching fever pitch, the focus of millions of horse racing fans around the world is turning to Louisville’s storied Churchill Downs. What you may not know is that there is much more to Churchill Downs than Derby Day, and many more opportunities to experience the world of the famous race track than the first Saturday in May.

While some150,000 race fans jam the grandstands, clubhouse and infield on Derby Day, groups and individuals can get an up-close and personal look in a more tranquil atmosphere at famous and not so well-known features of Churchill Downs many other days throughout the calendar. The Derby Museum’s busiest day of the year is the Sunday after Derby Day.
Since opening in 1985, the museum has welcomed over 200,000 guests each year from throughout the world through its doors.

Any tour of the grounds should start with a visit to the Kentucky Derby Museum, located near the track’s main entrance at Gate 1 on Central Ave. in Louisville’s South End.  The museum contains a diverse collection of racing memorabilia and provides an overview of the track’s development since it staged the first Kentucky Derby in 1875. The museum is open daily to the public with the exception of Thanksgiving, Christmas, Oaks Day, Derby Day, and Breeder’s Cup when in Louisville.

In addition to the historic guided walking tour of Churchill Downs (included in the $10 adult  museum admission price), the museum provides two other fascinating tours that give visitors the opportunity to see areas that are closed off to the general public.

The first of these tours is the Barn and Backside Van Tour, where guides take up to 12 guests on a one-hour tour of Churchill Downs’ stable area and infield. There are two spots for picture taking, time permitting. Tours are offered mid-March through November except during Derby week. The cost for an adult is $10 plus museum admission.

The backside is an intriguing world unto itself, where about 1,000 trainers, jockeys, exercise riders, grooms, stable hands and other colorful characters toil mostly out of the limelight during racing season to keep their thoroughbreds in peak condition to compete for prizes and glory on the track. Some of the track workers bunk in a 266-bed dormitory-style building amid the rows of 47 stables that house their equine charges. A recent addition to the backside is a chapel where workers, the majority of whom travel with their horses to tracks around the country, can go to find a sense of community and spiritual direction. 

Visit this “other side” of Churchill Downs to see racehorses in their environment. More than 1,400 stalls dot the back of the track, and most are full during the peak seasons. On any given day of training, visitors could see a 2-year-old in line to win next year’s Derby, a 9-year-old nearing retirement or the Derby winner himself. The world-class thoroughbreds range in value up to millions of dollars. See the horses in training, catch them during a bath, and learn about life at the track. Stops will be made for picture taking at the track (time and weather permitting). This exclusive tour is offered only to guests of the museum. This is a great tour for horse lovers, but please note: guests will not be able to touch the animals. (Tour is not available during Derby week.)

For more information about the museum and tours of Churchill Downs, call 502-637-7097 or visit the museum’s web site, www.derbymuseum.org.