“You made it so you can see more and be part of the process,” said Chris Riley, a Louisville native who now lives in Atlanta and has competed in more than 40 derbies. “But next year we will be able to judge.”
When complete, the project will feature terraced standing, premium seating, clubrooms and even dining for the 150th Derby. 21 saddle boxes flank the tunnel that connects the paddock with the racetrack. The statues of Aristides, the first Derby winner, and Jockey Pat Day, the all-time leader of the track in all major categories, have been relocated and will return to the paddock area once construction is complete. The tradition of hanging a sign over the previous winner’s stand continues with the temporary setup as well.
Eustace Fernandes, who has lived in Louisville since 1993, has attended at least 20 derbies. Last year he met Brenda Brown from Frisco, Texas, and Sheri Hightower from Denver, both longtime flight attendants, on the railing in the paddock. They’ve been texting almost every week since then and were back by Friday.
“She never knew she had seats until Eustace told her,” Hightower said of Brown. “We are always in the paddock.”
The vantage point – “the best in the house,” Fernandes said – is what they like about the new configuration. “It’s a great view of the horses, which the three of us love,” Hightower said.
And not only the paddock shines in new splendor. A $90 million first-turn project, essentially a three-story structure reminiscent of what you would find in a football stadium, is unveiled. It replaces a temporary seating area around the first turn and adds thousands of indoor and covered seating and a dining area.