Churchill Downs Prepares to Serve 7,500 Thanksgiving Dinners as Fall Meet Concludes
Louisville, KY – As the 26-day Churchill Downs Fall Meet nears its end, preparations are underway for the venue’s largest Thanksgiving meal service to date: 7,500 turkey dinners with all the trimmings. Levy Restaurants chefs will begin cooking the expansive meal around 1 a.m. on Thursday, utilizing approximately 550 ten-pound turkeys, 6,000 pounds of spiral ham, 250 gallons of rosemary gravy, 5,000 pounds of mashed potatoes, 150 gallons of cranberry sauce, and over 900 pumpkin pies.
The Fall Meet, which concluded Wednesday, saw jockey Irad Ortiz Jr.leading with 33 wins, a four-win advantage over his brother Jose Ortiz. Luis Saez followed with 24 wins, and Tyler gaffalione with 20. Trainer Brad Cox topped the trainer standings with 14 wins, four ahead of Joe Sharp, while Godolphin led owners with six wins, tied with Paradise Farms corp. and David Staudacher, and David Jacobson, each with five.
churchill Downs racing statistics from the meet, courtesy of Brisnet, show an average win odds of 5.18-1, with favorites winning 37% of races and finishing in the money 68% of the time. Payouts averaged $83.30 for an Exacta,$629.16 for a Trifecta, $4,714.12 for a Superfecta, $5,034.28 for a Super Hi-5, $87.08 for a Double, $654.87 for a Pick 3, $5,372.15 for a Pick 4, $30,673.01 for a Pick 5, and $287,955.18 for the Derby City 6 Jackpot.
Other notable updates include the arrival of Bob baffert’s horses – Boyd, Cherokee Nation, and Tour Player - to Barn 44. Though, Explora has been scratched from the $400,000 Golden rod (GII). Brazilian jockey Dylan Machado is set to ride his first North American race Friday at Churchill Downs, following appearances at Turfway Park. Trainers Greg Foley and Al Stall Jr. were each one win shy of career milestones – 500 and 300 Churchill Downs victories, respectively – heading into Wednesday’s races.
For more information about the Churchill Downs Fall Meet, visit www.churchilldowns.com.
