Night card attendance exceeds 15,000 despite cold weather

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - An ontrack crowd of 15,583 turned out Friday for the only night racing card of the 21-day Churchill Downs fall meet. Track officials said beforehand they did not know what to expect, and although they were prepared for as many as 25,000, they said they were very pleased with how the evening went, considering that temperatures dipped into the low 40s. The attendance nearly tripled the 5,363 that turned out for the comparable Friday afternoon card held in 2009.

Three night cards were held at the 2009 spring meet and four during the 2010 spring meet, all amid much warmer weather, for an average attendance of nearly 28,000 per night.