Churchill selling tickets for fall meeting

Churchill Downs has begun selling a limited number of tickets for its upcoming fall meet that begins in late October, according to an official with the company.

The tickets are being made available through the track’s website and at internet brokerage sites, according to Darren Rogers, the track’s vice president of communications. Churchill has not yet allowed spectators on-track this year due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, including at its re-scheduled Kentucky Derby on Sept. 5.

Rogers said that the track is continuing to monitor the situation involving the coronavirus, and that the plans to have spectators on-site is “fluid.”

“A lot can change within a few weeks’ time,” Rogers said. “If it does, we’ll adjust accordingly.”

Churchill’s fall meet is scheduled to run from Oct. 25 to Nov. 29. Its Thanksgiving weekend programs have always been popular among local fans.

Live racing in Kentucky is currently being conducted at Keeneland Racecourse in Lexington, which is allowing owners, sponsors, and box-seat holders to attend the races. No general admission is being allowed at the track.

Earlier in the year, during the summer, Ellis Park in Henderson, Ky., allowed a small number of spectators on-site.

Kentucky’s two largest college football programs, the University of Louisville and the University of Kentucky, are now allowing spectators at their home football games, at limited capacity and with masking and social-distancing protocols enforced. The policies to allow spectators comes at the same time that Kentucky has been posting record weekly totals of coronavirus positives.