Churchill Downs Thurby Tickets

We have been coming out to Churchill during Derby Week for a long time. But the disorganization and actual chaos we witnessed on Thurby -- especially regarding the food and drink delivery -- really shocked us. Instead of an unlimited buffet as had been offered in previous years when they had temporary stands in this location, Churchill switched to a fast-food type delivery so every plate of food had to be hand-delivered one at a time. Lines built up so far that they stretched into the seating area and created actual dangerously packed areas. Also, the food was COLD. The people handing it out weren't Churchill Downs employees. They were some sort of volunteers. The layout of the concession area -- with drink lines on both ends, made a reasonable flow of people impossible. We can't imagine how much worse it must have been on Oaks and Derby days! This was a pretty bad mistake but the problems didn't end there. Video monitors were hard to see or non-existent. And there were no video monitors in the areas where people had to miss races just to get to the front of the food or drink lines. The new stadium is impressive overall. But we hope Churchill gets to work and overhauls this deplorable delivery of concessions. Or abandon the food and drink package all together, in which case, we'll consider not going next year after years of patronage. The fast-food booths had very

Food drinks seating excellent!!!! Loved the beautiful day with family and friends. Betting lines with out any problems!!!! Loved the meatballs, strawberry blackberry salad!!!! Great variety of food choices!!!!

Utilized the free parking and shuttle from the Expo Center to Churchill Downs, where we visiting for the first time. Totally enjoyed seeing all the people, the gorgeous ladies' dresses and hats, and men in floral jackets and suits. A show in inself! The horses were so beautiful, and the excitement watching them on the big screens and then live in front of us in the straightway and across the Finish Line was so exciting! Thurby-day was the best!!!!

The lines to get into the track were ridiculous. I have been every Thursday for at least 35 years and never seen it like this. The Aristides Lounge food package was horrible. The food was bland and there were no choices. The drink lines were ridiculous for such a small venue. The wait was over 30 minutes to get a drink, hardly making for a pleasant experience considering the drinks and food were included in the price. The food and the drink service on Champions Day in the Homestretch Club was so much better.

The Homestretch club is beautiful. Our experience was waiting in lines most of the day. I feel there were too many people for the accommodations.

Churchill Downs website stated first floor was General Admisson seating. 502’s day worked out well for my group but others were being moved out of their seats several races in, were told someone paid for the GA seats. Then on Thurby, I asked at the trailer outside about where GA was. The workers said all of first floor are GA. Then later told by another worker only GA if no one bought the box. Very confusing and frustrating. Shame on Churchill Downs for selling GA for the first floor, then selling the GA seats. We would have paid the $6 more for a guaranteed seat. Churchill downs communication was horrible this year. If you’re going so sell GA seats, don’t have GA as an option unless you indicate no seat or standing room only. I’ve been going to CD for derby week for over 30 years. Very disappointed.

The experience was great except for long lines to get food. The alcohol area should not beside the food area. We had to squeeze through people to get to the food line. There should be a curved line instead of going straight back for alcohol. There is no place for people to stand. We were in the first turn (section 2011 area.). The food options were great, but we had to get everything @ once because the lines were too long to stand in twice. Thank you

Crowded lines for food and drinks. When buying all inclusive tickets there should be a way to make lines faster. 45min in line for a drink is unsatisfactory. Not being able to see odds/Screens or hear winners is not satisfactory for sure. I paid for a ticket and could never tell who was leading or even running for that matter. I realize First Turn is new but make sure to give guests similar experiences to other seats. Ticket prices were high enough that I didn’t expect to be so clueless while in my seat.

Hospitality was wonderful, food was top notch and the venue was beyond my imagination. My wife and I are already planning for Thurby 2024!!!!!

Had fun! Beautiful weather! Next time 1st turn! Fun with friends and family!

We were very excited to be the first to experience First Turn on Thurby Day. Great view of the track and Churchill! Love the covered area for seating as well. However, we left after being there for two hours. Stood in line for almost all of that time to get a drink and sub-par food. Chicken tenders is great for some but definitely did not a good fit the venue and clientele. Will not return to the reserved seating area but possibly try the club dining level next year.

We were very pleasantly surprised at the beautiful new facility added to Churchill Downs. The buffet food was scrumptious. I don’t like to be wasteful so I took very small portions and planned to return for seconds. Unfortunately the very slow moving line had grown to 3-5 deep and at least 50’-60’ long. The buffet line was closed at 3 PM. The bar was even more crowded and there was no bottled water long before the end of the day. I still enjoyed the day tremendously because we were with friends and so many sights: horses racing, stylish, and sometimes outrageous, clothing, perfect weather and the delicious, though overcrowded, buffet.

My husband surprised me with reserved seats at Thurby!!! My 6 year old self was thrilled! We had the most incredible day, and plan on making it a yearly tradition!!

We sat in the brand new First Turn seating area. The tickets were pricy but we thought it was worth it because it came with food and drink. It was so crowded and lines were so long that we were only able to get a couple drinks and snacks the entire time we were there. They also ran out of canned drinks besides cheap beer very quickly. The seating area itself was not as advertised. The online pictures show an indoor dining area. That turned out to be a section of the club you needed special tickets for. Most of the club was completely open air and built like a sports stadium. Overall pretty disappointing

While I had a great time at Thurby, the First Turn was a huge downgrade from the Vineyard Vines experience in the past. Huge lines for food and drinks—spent so much time in line that I missed races. And there was ample space for auxiliary bars to accommodate the larger crowds. Very frustrating.

Lines lines lines . Waited 45 minutes for a drink . Food was always out. 150 dollars absolute rip off!!!!

The seats were perfect! I love how the ticket included everything; snacks, food, drinks, etc. My only recommendation would be to have more lines for food and drinks. The lines were very long and it took a long time to get through them. They needed workers handing out drinks and snacks to cut down the lines too.

The tickets we bought talked about access to dining rooms, and dress codes required for different dining rooms. When we got there it was no different than a low budget high school lunch served out of 6 windows. The " free drinks" came at a steep cost of your time. Sure you can get an old fashioned, but only if you're willing to wait in a mad house of people crashed together for close to an hour for that drink. Total waste of my time and money, will never be back.

Last year Thurby was an awesome experience with the dining and drink package. This year the lines were awful. Half the day was spent waiting around in these long lines. Only got to see half the races. It went from an incredibly enjoyable event, to one I probably wouldn’t attend again.

Our group purchaded tickets to attend Thurby. We were immediately impressed by the organization of the event. There were plenty of shuttles taking us grom the parking area to Churchill Downs, and they were there waiting when we were ready to go. All staff working the event were extremely helpful everytime we interacted with them. My one complaint was the description of the event when purchasing tickets. Once we arrived we felt like we didnt get a full description of what was or was not included in out ticket. We definitely would have puchsed better seats /suits if we had all of the info. Overall, we had a great day for oir first time at Churchill Downs!