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News Release: FAIR GROUNDS WELCOMES BACK EXOTIC ANIMALS TO POPULAR NIGHT RACING EVENT LINE-UP

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Mark A. Conner, Sr. Director of Marketing, 504.948.1203, [email protected]

FAIR GROUNDS WELCOMES BACK EXOTIC ANIMALS TO POPULAR NIGHT RACING EVENT LINE-UP.

  • Track Apron Features Food Trucks and Inflatable Bounce Houses for families
  • Christian Serpas and After Party Band added as Live Entertainment

NEW ORLEANS (January 24, 2019) – Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots welcomes exotic animal racing back to the 147th thoroughbred race meet. The ever-popular card, typically held in the summer months, encompasses one heat each for camels, ostriches and zebras as they join forces with another premium card of nine thoroughbred horse races for a total of 12 races.  The event is presented by Miller Lite and Blue Moon, the Official Presenting Partner of Starlight Racing, as well as Absolut, Jameson, Where Y’at Magazine, B97 and the official production and audio-visual partner for the racing season, Event Producers.

“Following a great start to the live thoroughbred race meet, we are excited to continue the momentum by welcoming back our exotic animal friends to compete on the homestretch.  Our three camel, ostrich and zebra races are sure to provide an exciting experience for those on track and we are once again proud to continue our efforts to expose new-to-racing fans to our industry and the versatility of entertainment experiences offered here at Fair Grounds” said Doug Shipley, President, Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots.

Exotic Animal Racing

Back by popular demand and increased to a total of three races, Camels, Ostriches and Zebras are on the card Saturday, January 26th.  Fans are encouraged to arrive early as exotic races are currently scheduled to run just after 4:30 p.m., 5:40 p.m. and 7:00 p.m., respectively. First post for the first of nine thoroughbred races is 3:00 p.m. CST.  Trackside patrons may enjoy the Miller Beer Garden – complete with live entertainment provided by Christian Serpas from 5:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m., and three adjacent inflatable bounce houses for younger race fans.  Food Truck fare will be provided by local favorites, Diva Dawg and Frencheeze as well as local catering favorite, Messina’s. Josh Danzig, Publisher of Where Y’at Magazine, will emcee the evening’s events.

The Clubhouse Dining Room will be open with the normal full menu and will be complemented by entertainment provide by the After Party Band from 7:00 p.m. – 11:00 p.m.

Tickets, Pricing and Valet

Exotic night racing has a first post of 3 p.m. overall, with exotic animal races set to generally post after 4:30 p.m., 5:40  p.m. and 7:00 p.m., respectively but are subject to change. Thoroughbred horses will contend with a 9 race card throughout the evening as well. 

General Admission for the Miller Beer Garden, track apron and floors 1-3 is $5.00 for everyone 13 and older. Kids 12 and under are FREE.

General Admission tickets are currently available for sale at fgno.com/tickets. 

Clubhouse Admission is $15 for Ages 13 and older. All Grandstand and Clubhouse box seats are open seating and are first-come, first-served basis.

Valet parking will be offered on the specialty race days only at $20 for regular parking and $30 for VIP parking.

Additional information and clubhouse reservations are available by calling the property reservations line at (504) 943-2200.

About Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots

Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots (“Fair Grounds”), the nation’s third-oldest racetrack, has been in operation since 1872. Located in New Orleans, LA, Fair Grounds is owned by Churchill Downs Incorporated (NASDAQ: CHDN).  Fair Grounds also operates 14 OTBs (12 with video poker facilities) throughout southeast Louisiana. Live racing at Fair Grounds is underway with the 147th Thoroughbred Racing Season – highlighted by the 106th running of the Louisiana Derby in March of 2019. More information can be found online at www.fairgroundsracecourse.com.

Information set forth in this press release contains various “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. The Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 (the “Act”) provides certain “safe harbor” provisions for forward-looking statements. All forward-looking statements made in this press release are made pursuant to the Act.

The reader is cautioned that such forward-looking statements are based on information available at the time and/or management’s good faith belief with respect to future events, and are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual performance or results to differ materially from those expressed in the statements.  Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date the statement was made. We assume no obligation to update forward-looking information to reflect actual results, changes in assumptions or changes in other factors affecting forward-looking information. Forward-looking statements are typically identified by the use of terms such as “anticipate,” “believe,” “could,” “estimate,” “expect,” “intend,” “may,” “might,” “plan,” “predict,” “project,” “seek,” “should,” “will,” and similar words, although some forward-looking statements are expressed differently.

Although we believe that the expectations reflected in such forward-looking statements are reasonable, we can give no assurance that such expectations will prove to be correct. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from expectations include the following: the effect of economic conditions on our consumers’ confidence and discretionary spending or our access to credit; additional or increased taxes and fees; public perceptions or lack of confidence in the integrity of our business; loss of key or highly skilled personnel; restrictions in our debt facilities limiting our flexibility to operate our business; general risks related to real estate ownership, including fluctuations in market values and environmental regulations; catastrophic events and system failures disrupting our operations, including the impact of natural and other disasters on our operations and our ability to obtain insurance recoveries in respect of such losses; inability to identify and complete acquisition, expansion or divestiture projects, on time, on budget or as planned; difficulty in integrating recent or future acquisitions into our operations; legalization of online real money gaming and sports wagering in the United States, and our ability to capitalize on and predict such legalization; the number of people attending and wagering on live horse races; inability to respond to rapid technological changes in a

timely manner; inadvertent infringement of the intellectual property of others; inability to protect our own intellectual property rights; security breaches and other security risks related to our technology, personal information, source code and other proprietary information, including failure to comply with regulations and other legal obligations relating to receiving, processing, storing and using personal information; payment- related risks, such as chargebacks for fraudulent credit card use; compliance with the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act or applicable money-laundering regulations; compliance with payment processing and payment transmission regulations; work stoppages and labor issues; difficulty in attracting a sufficient number of horses and trainers for full field horseraces; inability to negotiate agreements with industry constituents, including horsemen and other racetracks; personal injury litigation related to injuries occurring at our racetracks; the inability of our totalisator company, United Tote, to maintain its processes accurately, keep its technology current or maintain its significant customers; weather conditions affecting our ability to conduct live racing; increased competition in the horseracing business; changes in the regulatory environment of our racing operations; declining popularity in horseracing; seasonal fluctuations in our horseracing business due to geographic concentration of our operations; increased competition in our casino business; changes in regulatory environment of our casino business; the cost and possibility for delay, cost overruns and other uncertainties associated with the development and expansion of casinos; concentration and evolution of slot machine manufacturing and other technology conditions that could impose additional costs; impact of further legislation prohibiting tobacco smoking; geographic concentration of our casino business; changes in regulatory environment for our advanced deposit wagering, sports wagering, or online gaming businesses; increase in competition in the advanced deposit wagering, sports wagering, or online gaming businesses; inability to retain current customers or attract new customers to our advanced deposit wagering, sports wagering, or online gaming businesses; uncertainty and changes in the legal landscape relating to our advanced deposit wagering, sports wagering, or online gaming businesses; and failure to comply with laws requiring us to block access to certain individuals could result in penalties or impairment in our ability to offer advanced deposit wagering, sports wagering, or online gaming.

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