LOUISVILLE, Ky., Oct. 28, 2014 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Saratoga Harness Racing, Inc. (SHRI) and Churchill Downs Incorporated (CDI) (Nasdaq:CHDN) have signed a definitive purchase agreement wherein CDI will purchase a 25 percent membership interest in Saratoga Casino Holdings, LLC (SCH) for approximately $30.6 million, to be paid in cash. SCH is a newly formed entity which will include the following assets - Saratoga Casino and Raceway in Saratoga Springs, N.Y.; SHRI's controlling interest in Saratoga Casino Black Hawk in Black Hawk, Colo.; its 50 percent interest in a joint venture with Delaware North Companies to manage the Gideon Putnam Hotel and Resort in Saratoga Springs, N.Y.; its interest in the proposed Capital View Casino & Resort in East Greenbush, N.Y; and SHRI's interest in a joint venture with Rush Street Gaming to build the proposed Hudson Valley Casino & Resort in Newburgh, N.Y. The purchase price remains subject to adjustments for SCH's working capital and debt at the time of closing.

SHRI and CDI have also signed a definitive five-year management contract wherein CDI will manage Saratoga Casino and Raceway and Saratoga Casino Black Hawk. Should CDI and SHRI be successful in their joint bid to build Capital View Casino & Resort, CDI will also manage that facility. A binding term sheet for such management agreement was included with the New York casino license application for Capital View Casino & Resort, submitted by CDI and SHRI on June 30.

Both the purchase and management contracts will become effective as soon as CDI and SHRI obtain necessary licenses and approvals in New York and Colorado. The parties anticipate approval in the second-quarter of 2015, however there can be no assurances with respect to timing of regulatory approvals.

About Churchill Downs Incorporated

Churchill Downs Incorporated (CDI) (Nasdaq:CHDN), headquartered in Louisville, Ky., owns and operates the world-renowned Churchill Downs Racetrack, home of the Kentucky Derby and Kentucky Oaks, as well as racetrack and casino operations in Miami Gardens, Fla.; racetrack, casino and video poker operations in New Orleans, La.; racetrack operations in Arlington Heights, Ill.; a casino resort in Greenville, Miss.; a casino hotel in Vicksburg, Miss.; a casino in Oxford, Maine; and a 50 percent owned joint venture, Miami Valley Gaming and Racing LLC, in Lebanon, Ohio. CDI also owns the country's premier online wagering company, TwinSpires.com; the totalisator company, United Tote; Bluff Media, an Atlanta-based multimedia poker company; and a collection of racing-related telecommunications and data companies. Additional information about CDI can be found online at www.churchilldownsincorporated.com.

About Saratoga Harness Racing, Inc.

Saratoga Harness Racing, Inc. is the Northeast's premier racing and gaming company, and one of the Capital Region's largest employers, boasting a $15 million annual payroll and 630 employees at its Saratoga Springs facility. SHRI traces its history to June 1941 with the start of harness racing at the nation's third oldest harness track. Today, Saratoga Harness Racing, Inc. operates gaming, racing and entertainment venues in three states, including Saratoga Casino Black Hawk in Colorado, Ellis Park in Kentucky and the Gideon Putnam Hotel and Resort in Saratoga Springs, N.Y.

Information set forth in this news release contains various "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. The Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 (the "Act") provides certain "safe harbor" provisions for forward-looking statements. All forward-looking statements are made pursuant to the Act.

The reader is cautioned that such forward-looking statements are based on information available at the time and/or management's good faith belief with respect to future events, and are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual performance or results to differ materially from those expressed in the statements. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date the statement was made. We assume no obligation to update forward-looking information to reflect actual results, changes in assumptions or changes in other factors affecting forward-looking information. Forward-looking statements are typically identified by the use of terms such as "anticipate," "believe," "could," "estimate," "expect," "intend," "may," "might," "plan," "predict," "project," "hope," "should," "will," and similar words, although some forward-looking statements are expressed differently. Although we believe that the expectations reflected in such forward-looking statements are reasonable, we can give no assurance that such expectations will prove to be correct. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from expectations include: the effect of global economic conditions, including any disruptions in the credit markets; a decrease in consumers' discretionary income; the effect (including possible increases in the cost of doing business) resulting from future war and terrorist activities or political uncertainties; the overall economic environment; the impact of increasing insurance costs; the impact of interest rate fluctuations; the effect of any change in our accounting policies or practices; the financial performance of our racing operations; the impact of gaming competition (including lotteries, online gaming and riverboat, cruise ship and land-based casinos) and other sports and entertainment options in the markets in which we operate; our ability to maintain racing and gaming licenses to conduct our businesses; the impact of live racing day competition with other Kentucky, Illinois and Louisiana racetracks within those respective markets; the impact of higher purses and other incentives in states that compete with our racetracks; costs associated with our efforts in support of alternative gaming initiatives; costs associated with customer relationship management initiatives; a substantial change in law or regulations affecting pari-mutuel and gaming activities; a substantial change in allocation of live racing days; changes in Kentucky, Illinois, or Louisiana law or regulations that impact revenues or costs of racing operations in those states; the presence of wagering and gaming operations at other states' racetracks and casinos near our operations; our continued ability to effectively compete for the country's horses and trainers necessary to achieve full field horse races; our continued ability to grow our share of the interstate simulcast market and obtain the consents of horsemen's groups to interstate simulcasting; our ability to enter into agreements with other industry constituents for the purchase and sale of racing content for wagering purposes; our ability to execute our acquisition strategy and to complete or successfully operate planned expansion projects; our ability to successfully complete any divestiture transaction; market reaction to our expansion projects; the inability of our totalisator company, United Tote, to maintain its processes accurately or keep its technology current; our accountability for environmental contamination; the ability of our online business to prevent security breaches within its online technologies; the loss of key personnel; the impact of natural and other disasters on our operations and our ability to obtain insurance recoveries in respect of such losses (including losses related to business interruption); our ability to integrate any businesses we acquire into our existing operations, including our ability to maintain revenues at historic levels and achieve anticipated cost savings; the impact of wagering laws, including changes in laws or enforcement of those laws by regulatory agencies; the outcome of pending or threatened litigation; changes in our relationships with horsemen's groups and their memberships; our ability to reach agreement with horsemen's groups on future purse and other agreements (including, without limiting, agreements on sharing of revenues from gaming and advance deposit wagering); the effect of claims of third parties to intellectual property rights; and the volatility of our stock price.

CONTACT: SHRI Contact: Rita Cox,

         rcox@SaratogaCasino.com, 518-581-5716

         CDI Contact: Courtney Norris,

         Courtney.Norris@kyderby.com, 502-636-4564