Churchill Downs bans re-entry on Oaks, Derby days

Attendees of the Kentucky Oaks and Kentucky Derby cards at Churchill Downs in Louisville this year will no longer be able to get back into the track if they leave, a measure Churchill is putting in place to prevent counterfeit sales of tickets and wrist bracelets, the company said on Thursday.

In a release, Churchill said some patrons on Oaks and Derby days were leaving the track to use their tickets and bracelets to quickly produce counterfeits of the items. The release stated that re-entry bans are a “common security policy for major sporting and entertainment events.”

“Our previous re-entry policy made it a fairly simple task for ticketed patrons to exit the track and quickly generate copies of their tickets and wristbands for sale outside of our grounds,” said Ryan Jordan, Churchill’s general manager. “Those who purchase counterfeit items are denied access when they arrive at our admission gates and thus have lost their money, and in many cases, the Kentucky Derby and Oaks experience they had hoped for either becomes an unpleasant memory or is ended altogether.”

In addition, Churchill said that “selfie sticks” – the collapsible wands that people use to take self-portraits – and drones would be added to the list of banned items for Oaks and Derby days. Quite obviously, Churchill said the ban on drones was necessary to ensure the safety of horses and people on the grounds.