TruGreen Announces Partnership With Churchill Downs, Home of the Kentucky Derby

Apr 26, 2017

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (Wednesday, April 26, 2017) – TruGreen is proud to announce its partnership with Churchill Downs, home of The Kentucky Derby. TruGreen has joined Churchill Downs as a proud partner caring for 37 acres of turf at the facility. 

Located in Louisville, Kentucky and known as the home of the Kentucky Derby, Churchill Downs Racetrack holds Thoroughbred horse racing events three times a year -- Spring, September and Fall. The racetrack spans 147 acres and features a one-mile dirt racetrack and a seven-furlong (7/8 mile) turf course for racing.

“TruGreen treats several high profile areas of turf at Churchill Downs,” said Region Commercial Sales Manager, Mark Rollman, Indiana Region (which also encompasses Central Illinois and Kentucky). “One of the most high-profile areas we assist with is the turf track that sits right inside the dirt track. Churchill Downs typically runs two to three races per race day on the turf surfaces throughout the year.”

“The turf at Churchill Downs is actually a combination of many different grasses,” added Rollman. “It started off as a mix of Kentucky Bluegrass and Kentucky 31 Fescue which over the years has been blended with other grasses such as Turf Type Tall Fescue. We also treat the famous turf at Aristides Garden and in the Paddock, where the horses are saddled just before the Kentucky Derby and other major races.  Our team helps maintain the high profile turf inside and outside the facility, provides vegetation control in the parking lots/cracks and crevices.”

As partner to Churchill Downs, TruGreen is very proud to team up with such an iconic brand. Churchill Downs accommodates around 170,000 guests on Kentucky Derby Day and draws an estimated 16 million television viewers,” said Chief Marketing Officer, Kari Rajaniemi. “The partnership is a perfect pairing for TruGreen. Although the Derby is known as the “Greatest Two Minutes in Sports”, we are tapping into decades of reputation built by the racetrack, leveraging a stronger impression in the marketplace with racing enthusiasts and ultimately strengthening our brand.”

“The Kentucky Derby is America’s oldest continuously-held sports event and both that great race and its home track date to 1875, our grass course – although it has been the scene of races of worldwide importance – dates to the mid-1980s,” said Kevin Flanery, president of Churchill Downs Racetrack.  “Many of the world’s greatest and most accomplished grass stars have raced over that course and it is an important part of racing on Derby Day and every day at Churchill Downs. Our team shares TruGreen’s values of first-class customer service and a strong history of giving back to its community, and Churchill Downs is excited about the opportunities with the Churchill Downs Racetrack and TruGreen partnership.”  

Tune in to NBCSN from 12pm-2:30pm for pre-event coverage and NBC from 2:30pm-7:00pm for live coverage of Kentucky Derby 143 on Saturday, May 6.

Churchill Downs has presented America’s greatest race, the Kentucky Derby, continuously since 1875. Located in Louisville, the flagship racetrack of Churchill Downs Incorporated (NASDAQ: CHDN) offers year-round simulcast wagering at the historic track. Churchill Downs will conduct the 143^rd running of the Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands on May 6, 2017. The track’s 2017 Spring Meet is scheduled for April 29-June 30. Churchill Downs has hosted the Breeders’ Cup World Championships eight times and the event will return to the track on Nov. 2-3, 2018. Information is available at www.ChurchillDowns.com.