Kentucky Derby Day shows its tech side - CNET

Yet no race is more important to Churchill Downs, the Louisville, Kentucky, track famed for its gracious tu-of-the-century buildings, tiered grandstands and iconic twin spires. This is the first jewel of the Triple Crown. (It's followed by the Preakness at Baltimore's Pimlico Race Course and the Belmont Stakes at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York.) The owner of the winning horse gets a giant gold trophy, a blanket of roses and more than a million dollars. Attendees get to cross the event off their bucket list.

After that, though, most Americans don't give racing a second thought.

Horse racing in general has been on the decline since the late '70s, thanks to shifting demographics, the rise of online betting and too few four-legged stars a la Seabiscuit or Secretariat. Three years ago, Churchill Downs realized that twenty- and thirtysomethings view sporting events through a technology lens. It knew it needed to jazz up the viewing and betting experience with sensors, screens and apps that make it easy to be near the action.

"The party that the Derby was back in 1876 is not the same party that the Derby will be in 2016," says Jeff Koleba, Churchill Downs' head of marketing. "It's critical for us to evolve and make Derby Day the best party and experience possible, and part of that is how people can interact with each other in person and over social media."

That's a really big board

In 2013, Churchill Downs teamed with Panasonic to build the aptly named Big Board, one of the largest high-definition video screens in all of sports. Installed midway along the backstretch of the track, the LED screen is larger than three NBA courts and, together with the supports that heft it 80 feet off the ground, weighs more than 1 million pounds.

The images are so clear they almost look three-dimensional.

Jockey Gary Stevens, 53, who played George Woolf in the 2003 movie "Seabiscuit," says the track initially had to tu down the Big Board's volume because it spooked the horses. And sometimes, race footage would trick the horses into thinking their own race had started.

For sure, the Big Board is impossible to miss. Watching it might be the only time people sitting in the infield -- essentially a patch of muddy grass on the inside of the track -- see a horse all day.

"A few years ago, I only saw [what was around me] at the time," says Ashley Marshall, a 25-year-old third-grade teacher from Louisville, who has been coming to Derby Day for the past eight years.

But with the Big Board she can watch the horses even while sitting on a picnic blanket or partying with friends in the infield. And thanks to sensors stashed in the horses' saddle clothes, the screen also displays graphics showing each horse's progress -- making it easy for the fans to pick out their favorites from the pack.

Your bets, please

Fans wager more than $180 million on Derby Day. Until a few years ago, placing a bet meant heading over to sunless tunnels behind the grandstands, and then lining up at betting counters or self-serve kiosks. That changed last year when Churchill Downs released its official TwinSpires mobile wagering app.

The new app gets attendees like Marshall out of the tunnel and back into the light. "It's crazy how much has changed in a few years. People were in line half the time," she says.

Marshall uses the app for making bets but knows her parents and others prefer to stick with tradition. For some, standing in line is just part of the experience. The more superstitious sort will retu to the same counter that once sold them a winning ticket.

"A lot of people say our fan base is shrinking," says thoroughbred trainer Kenny McPeek, who trained the 2002 winner of the Belmont Stakes. "I don't think there's any more important time than now to come up with creative ways to attract new young fans."

Party time

Derby Day's main event is 1 race of 13, each spaced apart by 30 to 50 minutes. In between races, the Big Board shows fans' social media posts, live streams from Millionaires Row or the ultraexclusive Turf Club, advice on wagering, and a stream that just shows hats.

It's a mix of social media, marketing and entertainment that fills the time when fans aren't betting.

"The Derby is so huge, and there are a lot of places you can't get in. I always wondered what they were doing up in Millionaires Row, and now I get to see it," Marshall says.

The bell rings, the metal doors of the starting gate lurch open and 20 powerful thoroughbreds bolt forward and jam themselves along the far rail of the track. It's an intense 2 minutes of shouting and urging on the favorites. And that's just the fans.

Race over, it's time for one more Old Forester mint julep.

Did you get a look at that hat?