LOUISVILLE, Ky. — In September, the Kentucky Derby will be run for the 146th consecutive year. And, in a noteworthy development Thursday, for the 146th consecutive year there will be fans at Churchill Downs watching (and wagering on) the race. In the process, America’s most famous racetrack has set itself up as a flashpoint in our nation’s ongoing COVID-19 culture war.
Under a blue Louisville sky, Churchill president Kevin Flanery pulled off a mask and told a media gathering that the track plans to open its doors to tens of thousands of patrons on Sept. 5. The crowd will be much smaller than the usual 150,000-ish that cram the place on the first Saturday in May, but as of now they still might sell 50-75,000 tickets—including, remarkably, infield general admission passes.