Louisville Restaurants are Fed Up with Churchill Downs' Decision to Move the Kentucky Oaks to Primetime

Derby Week will be a lot different in Louisville next spring. Churchill Downs announced on Thursday that the 152nd Kentucky Oaks will receive the primetime spotlight with an NBC broadcast that begins on Friday night at 8 PM ET.

Churchill Downs is attempting to capitalize on record viewership numbers from the 2025 Kentucky Derby. By delaying the race two hours and moving from USA Network to NBC, they expect viewership to grow from 300,000 to more than a million.

That sounds great, right? Not everyone in the city of Louisville is embracing the move.

The City of Louisville is alive on Derby Eve. Celebrities pack parties across the city and restaurants fill with reservations. Those restaurants are not happy about the delayed start time.

If you attended this year’s Kentucky Oaks and did not stay for the last two races, you might be able to make an 8 PM reservation at a high-class restaurant. Delaying the event two hours eliminates an entire round of tables for establishments.

Jack Fry’s, a staple in the community for almost 100 years, issued a statement on Thursday that the change left the restaurant and others in the community “feeling marginalized.”

“With the new, later post time, we’re already seeing a shift in dining patterns, with many guests delaying or skipping their reservations altogether. The economic ripple effect is undeniable, especially as we’ve already seen significant changes in the past few years. The move toward a more captive audience at Churchill Downs, where ticket-holders are provided with food and beverage inclusivity, has left restaurants with an even smaller piece of the pie. These adjustments to scheduling, along with staffing changes and dining revenue declines, are impacting not just Jack Fry’s, but the entire Louisville restaurant economy.”

Jack Fry’s used flowery language to share that while they understand Churchill Downs’ decision, the economic impact will be felt negatively across the city. Another restaurant didn’t tiptoe around it so eloquently.

“It feels like a slap in the face to a lot of institutions in Louisville,” said Dallas McGarity, a chef at The Fat Lamb who has been a James Beard Award finalist.

Kentucky Oaks night is the biggest night of the year for many restaurants in Louisville. Churchill Downs is making the move to improve its bottom line, while hurting restaurants.

“They are a money making machine and that’s kind of their whole shtick,” McGarity told the Courier-Journal. “They’re not here to support the community. They’re here in the community, but it’s not their primary goal. Their primary goal is to make money.”  

And as a small business owner? “That sucks,” he said. 

Churchill Downs Does NOT Plan on Pushing Back the Kentucky Derby

Give ’em an inch, and they’ll take a mile. That sentiment was shared by many after this news was released. A successful Kentucky Oaks under the lights would surely lead to a later Kentucky Derby, right? That’s not exactly the case.

The Courier Journal’s Brooks Holt asked Tonya Abeln, vice president of corporate communications for Churchill Downs Inc., if a move for the Kentucky Derby could follow.

“I would say it’s very unlikely that we would ever toy with that formula,” Abeln said.

In short, Kentucky Derby Day doesn’t need to move to primetime because it’s on a Saturday. During the Kentucky Oaks, most of America is at work. Churchill Downs can draw in a larger audience and gambling handle if some of the races, like the Oaks, happen after people clock out for the weekend.

If we’re splitting hairs, the Kentucky Derby typically goes off at Twilight. The lights were on and the sky was dark when I walked out of the Infield after the final race, but if you’re worried about the Fastest Two Minutes in Sports in primetime, there’s no need to worry… for now.