Re-entry into the Kentucky Derby and Oaks will no longer be allowed for fans with tickets during those racing and entertainment programs beginning this year.
Churchill Downs, home to the Run for the Roses, announced Thursday that the new policy is being initiated for this year's renewals of both the 141st Kentucky Derby and Oaks. The track also updated the list of items that are permitted for carry-in at the admission gates or prohibited during the races on May 1-2.
"The decision to prohibit re-entry to ticketed patrons who leave the grounds is a common security policy at major sports and entertainment events and is long overdue at the home of the Kentucky Oaks and Derby," said Ryan Jordan, General Manager of Churchill Downs Racetrack. "This change in policy is intended to improve the arrival experience of our guests by shortening the entry lines into the facility and to better safeguard our guests from purchasing counterfeit tickets outside of our gates.
"Our previous re-entry policy made it a fairly simple task for ticketed patrons to exit the track and quickly generate copies of their tickets and wristbands for sale outside of our grounds. Those who purchase counterfeit items are denied access when they arrive at our admission gates, and thus have lost their money and, in many cases, the Kentucky Derby and Oaks experience they had hoped for either becomes an unpleasant memory or is ended altogether."
Among the items now prohibited are selfie sticks and remote-controlled aircraft. Prohibited items will be required to be returned to patrons' vehicles or disposed of. The track and its security partners do not store prohibited or excluded items for pick-up later in the day.
Expanded security procedures were first put in place after the bombing at the 2013 Boston Marathon.
[SportsNetwork.com]
