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. i : i : : ; ; Derby Dollars Have Impact in Kentucky Around a Hundred Thousand Louisyille Visitors Spending Approximately 5,000,000 CHURCHILL DOWNS, Louisville, Ky., May 6. — Turf people everywhere vaguely sense that the racing dollar is an economic force for good, but seldom is the truth of that proposition clearly to be demonstrated. Not so, however, with the Derby dollar. Its impact in Louisville in particular and Kentucky in general is so crystal clear that it can be estimated rather closely. The hundred thousand* people, give or take a few thousand, who annually descend upon Louisville for the Derby expend an estimated 5,000,000 in getting from their homes to Churchill Downs, seeing the Derby, and getting home again. The State of Kentucky has been capitalizing on Derby prestige in recent years with an -invitation to visitors, while they are here, to see "all Kentucky" and make their trip a more leisurely one. This campaign is beginning to pay dividends. Three Big Items How does the Derby dollar go? Transportation, food, and lodging, account for the bulk of it. After that comes entertainment, the taverns, and entertainment at the track itself. Local merchants, of course, share substantially in the Derby dollar. Despite widespread opinion to the contrary, the Derby is not a "rich mans race," for people from all walks of life enjoy it. A trip to Louisville, even a fairly long one, can be relatively inexpensive. Many establishments in Louisville take pride in the fact they do not raise prices one bit Derby week. Derby costs themselves come in varying prices, and, for the entertainment offered, are not considered high. Dollars spent at Churchill Downs are in reality entertainment dollars. And as entertainment, plus thrilling sport and the making a person a part of one of the worlds greatest events, the Derby gives dollar-for-dollar value. And Kentucky gives dollar-for-dollar value. "The Derby," as one economist explains it, "is the type of event from which everybody gains. It can best be cited as one of the great examples that stand out clearly and is amenable to analysis of the racing dollar at work for the benefit of a community, a state, indeed, even a nation.
