Ellis Park VP, GM Named

LOUISVILLE, Kentucky -- (PRESS RELEASE) – Churchill Downs (Nasdaq: CHDN) has announced that Brian Elmore, who has served for the past 10 years in important capacities at Churchill Downs Incorporated's ("CDI") Hoosier Park in Anderson, Ind., has been appointed vice president and general manager of Ellis Park.

Steve Sexton, president of Churchill Downs and Ellis Park, said that Elmore, 50, would assume his new duties at the Henderson, Ky., track on Feb. 6. He succeeds Paul Kuerzi, who cited health concerns and a desire to spend more time with his family when he retired from the posts of vice president and general manager of the track at the end of December. Kuerzi had held those positions at Ellis Park since 1999.

Elmore, a native of Sullivan in southwestern Indiana, joined Hoosier Park in 1995 as facility manager at the Trackside Indianapolis OTB and also served as Hoosier Park's director of OTB operations. In the latter post he had oversight of Hoosier Park's off-track betting operations in Fort Wayne and Merrillville.

He joins the Ellis Park team at an important time as the 84-year-old track works to recover from damage inflicted by a tornado that roared through the facility on Nov. 6. Much rebuilding and repair work remains to be done at Ellis Park, but Churchill Downs announced on Dec. 28 the track would conduct its scheduled 36-day racing meet in 2006 that will run from July 19-Sept. 4.

"We are delighted to find a qualified and energetic internal candidate in Brian Elmore to take on the important task of leading Ellis Park in its efforts to recover from the tornado and conduct a successful 2006 race meet," said Sexton. "Brian is a highly regarded member of the Hoosier Park team, has extensive experience in the racing industry, and has strong ties to the Tri-State region. The challenge of having Ellis Park ready for a strong 2006 meet has energized Brian, and he looks forward to becoming involved in the community as he returns home after his years of service at Hoosier Park."

"Ellis Park faces both challenges and opportunities as we rebound from last year's tornado and work toward our 2006 meet, and I am anxious to get started," said Elmore. "My first experiences in racing came at Ellis Park, so the track and its tradition are very special to me. I am most excited about the prospect of working with the experienced and dedicated staff at Ellis Park as we tackle the short-term challenges of preparing our track for racing in 2006 and long-range issues that lie beyond his year's meet."

Elmore said his childhood home in Sullivan, Ind., was located "86 miles from Ellis Park" and he spent many afternoons at the track as he was growing up. He has held several positions in both Thoroughbred and Quarter Horse racing - including duties as a racing official at Kentucky tracks - and once owned horses of the latter breed that competed at Henderson's Riverside Downs and at Bluegrass Downs in Paducah, Ky.

He lists a victory by Mr. American Flyer in the 1990 Riverside Downs Quarter Horse Derby as one of his highlights of his career as a horse owner. He said Mr. American Flyer held track records at both Riverside Downs and Bluegrass Downs. His work at Hoosier Park followed a stretch of 3 1/2 years at Bandera Downs, a mixed-breed facility in Bandera, Texas. He joined that track as director of operations and was promoted to executive vice president and chief operating officer before he departed for his post at Hoosier Park. Elmore is scheduled to travel to Henderson to meet with members of the Ellis Park team on Friday, Jan. 13.