LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Horseracing fans were treated to a free look at the potential winner of this year’s Kentucky Derby as Churchill Downs invited fans back to the track for their Dawn at the Downs event on Monday.
The event welcomes guests in for a chance to watch the horses work out on the track for free ahead of Derby 149.
For some of the people who came to the Twin Spires, this is a tradition that they do every single year. For others, this was a first and something that they’d wanted to do for a long time.
“It was a bucket list thing for me,” Tammy Derosa said. She and her husband were on their way back to Rochester, New York, and decided to make a stop in Louisville just to take in the Derby atmosphere.
“I always wanted to come to Churchill Downs and see the horses,” she said.
Derby regulars Yvonne Board and Ventra Mapp said that they wanted to take in the experience of Dawn at the Downs. They said Derby Week events serve as a showcase for the horses, the city, and the people of Louisville.
“Nothing better than this week!” Board said. “This is Louisville’s time to shine and we are out here to enjoy it and invite the people to Louisville.”
Mapp shared that sentiment.
“I tell my family and my friends, please, if you never come to Louisville any other time, please come to it in Derby. I want to showcase Louisville and Churchill is just awesome,” she said.
Dawn at the Downs continues through Wednesday, May 3 with gates opening at 7 a.m. and the workouts lasting until 10 a.m.
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