Kentucky Derby Happening With Fans

Churchill Downs, the home of the Kentucky Derby, announced today that the event, rescheduled for September 5th, will include fans at the venue. There will be reduced capacity (the extent to which is unspecified at this time). Fans will be "encouraged" to wear masks except for when they're sitting in their reserved seats, to regularly wash their hands for 20 seconds, and to maintain social distancing to the extent that it's possible.

“We truly appreciate the leadership of the Governor of Kentucky, Andy Beshear, and all of the hard work, collaboration and guidance that state and local officials and public health experts have provided us to safely and responsibly host Kentucky Derby Week in September with spectators,” said Churchill Downs Racetrack President Kevin Flanery.

As you're probably aware, we're in a spot with Covid-19 where nominal cases are spiking and some states are becoming hot spots, but daily death totals from the virus have been declining in America.

In recent weeks, places like New York City and Chicago had large protests but did not have corresponding virus spikes in the last couple weeks. This can be interpreted as a good sign for fans at outdoor sporting events, especially if masks are mandated.

It'll be interesting to see what percent capacity we are working with by the time the Kentucky Derby rolls around in September.