'See my city flourish.' Thurby draws huge crowd for third largest day of Derby Week racing
A scorching high of 88 degrees and sunshine couldn't keep locals or out-of-town visitors away from Churchill Downs on Thurby.
As the wrought iron gates opened in the morning and spectators poured in, the Thursday before the Kentucky Derby — known as Thurby — once again proven to be a crowd favorite for its 11th year at Churchill Downs Racetrack.
“It’s great to see my city flourish as much as it can,” Jason Brownlee, a project manager for Habitat for Humanity, told the Courier Journal.
Thurby, which started in 2014 as a day meant to appeal to Louisville locals, has expanded its reach and now draws in visitors from all over looking to extend their Kentucky Derby Week festivities.
Last year, nearly 55,000 attendees set a new Thurby crowd record. And with this year boasting the 150th Run for the Roses on Saturday, it was clear fans had flocked to the track to take part in the historic Kentucky Derby Week.
Enjoying the branded booths, photo ops and fun interactive areas in the Woodford Reserve Paddock Plaza, Brownlee donned a bright pink blazer with a white flower in the pocket, and white pants and topped it off with a white hat and a satin pink ribbon.
Brownlee, who lives in Indiana, has been to the Kentucky Derby around 25 times and looks forward to the culture and people the most each year.
Between puffs of his cigar, Brownlee said he’s helped build houses around the neighborhood surrounding the track and is excited to return for Derby.
“It’s great for me to build a house and then come back and join the community for a good time,” Brownlee said.
Early in the day, Kathy Boyer was enjoying her time in the Turf Club, one of the premium dining areas at Churchill Downs that includes views of the historic racetrack, and said she was invited to Thurby by someone she works with and thought it would be a great idea to come.
“The food out here looks like it’s going to be delicious,” Boyer said. “It’s gonna be really hot out here today, so kind of glad to be inside.”
Early in the day at the Turf Club, Sarah Kaufman was spotted carving a horse head out of a block of cheese and continued to work as guests trickled into the club.
Kaufman, also known as the “cheese lady,” said this was her second year at the Kentucky Derby and she’s been carving cheese for 20 years. Even though she’s attended other big events like the Super Bowl, she said the Derby has been her favorite experience so far.
"It's perfect. The food is perfect, the people are perfect, and just all the glamour and extravagance beyond detail as well," she said.
Boyer said she’s most excited about potentially winning bets from the horses.
And it wasn’t just locals enjoying all the fun at Churchill Downs Racetrack, from the new $200 million Paddock to the luxurious and exclusive Turf Club and the grandstands.
Matt Manroe, from Austin, Texas, who works with rehabilitating mustangs, said he found himself at the Derby a few years ago after an event at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington.
Manroe coupled his love of horses with his newfound love of the Kentucky Derby and the people of Louisville. This year, Manroe returned to Churchill Downs Racetrack with 11 friends, who kicked off their adventure on Thurby.
“Everybody, by the time the Derby goes off, everybody's like family,” Manroe said. “It's like you're sitting with family.”
Another out-of-town racegoer made the trek to the track from Arizona. Christy Dewitt traveled in for her second Derby Week and said she's extremely excited to be at the 150th running of the Derby.
As the Derby Week events and racing hosted at Churchill Downs Racetrack continue to creep further and further out from the first Saturday in May, Thurby continues to hold its spot as a desired day for locals and out-of-towners alike to see the third-largest day of racing.
“This is Louisville’s celebration of horses on Thursday, and it just kind of grows from there,” Manroe said.
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Contact business reporter Olivia Evans at oevans@courier-journal.com or on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter at @oliviamevans_. Reach politics reporter Hannah Pinski at hpinski@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Thurby draws huge crowd for third biggest day of Kentucky Derby Week