CDI Promotes Austin Miller to President of Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots
Churchill Downs Incorporated (NASDAQ: CHDN) (“CDI” or “Company”) today announced that Austin Miller has been named president of Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots (“Fair Grounds”) in New Orleans. In addition, CDI announced that Eric Halstrom will join Fair Grounds as vice president and general manager of racing.
Miller previously served as vice president and general manager of slots and OTB operations at Fair Grounds. In September 2008, he absorbed responsibility for the facility’s racing operation after the departure of former president Randy Soth.
“This is a wonderful opportunity for me, and I am both honored and excited to continue my leadership of the outstanding employees of Fair Grounds Race Course and Slots,” said Miller. “With the start of our 2008-09 racing season and the opening of our permanent slots facility near, there’s a great deal to anticipate, and I’m looking forward to being a part of it and continuing my work with the leadership team at Churchill Downs Incorporated.”
Miller joined CDI in May 2007 from Harrah’s New Orleans, where he served as vice president of gaming operations. He has also held management and senior executive positions with Grand Casinos, Harrah’s and Caesars, and worked in entertainment and professional sports through affiliations with Mid-America Festivals, Champps Entertainment and the Minnesota Strikers of the Major Indoor Soccer League. Miller holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Minnesota.
Halstrom comes to his new position with 15-plus years of experience in the racing business, including the previous nine years with Canterbury Park in Shakopee, Minn., where he most recently served as vice president of racing and simulcasting operations.
“I look forward to working to take Fair Grounds racing to a new level,” said Halstrom. “With the purse supplements this winter from gaming, I am confident we can achieve that objective. It is a tremendous opportunity for me professionally, and I am anxious to work with the Fair Grounds team in my new capacity.”
Prior to his most recent position, Halstrom worked at Canterbury as director of mutuels, and from 1995 to 1997 was employed by Churchill Downs Management Company as director of Indiana OTB operations and as the general manager of CDI’s Fort Wayne OTB. He is a graduate of the University of Arizona Race Track Industry Program based in Tucson, Ariz., and holds a degree from Minnesota State University. Halstrom will report to Miller and will begin his new duties effective Nov. 7, 2008.
Churchill Downs Incorporated, headquartered in Louisville, Ky., owns and operates world-renowned horse racing venues throughout the United States. Churchill Downs’ four racetracks in Florida, Illinois, Kentucky and Louisiana host many of North America’s most prestigious races, including the Kentucky Derby and Kentucky Oaks, Arlington Million, Princess Rooney Handicap and Louisiana Derby. Churchill Downs racetracks have hosted seven Breeders’ Cup World Championships. Churchill Downs also owns off-track betting facilities and has interests in various advance-deposit wagering, television production, telecommunications and racing services companies, including a 50-percent interest in the national cable and satellite network HorseRacing TV™, that support the Company’s network of simulcasting and racing operations. Churchill Downs trades on the NASDAQ Global Select Market under the symbol CHDN and can be found on the Internet at www.churchilldownsincorporated.com.