Churchill Downs Tornado Scatters Horses And Damages Barns

The Churchill Downs horse race track, longtime home to the Kentucky Derby, was hit by a tornado Wednesday and suffered massive damage. Due to the excessive nature of the damage, Thursday’s racing card has been cancelled.

No injuries were reported, however thousands of people in the area were without power Wednesday night.

Sports and tornadoes shouldn’t have much of anything to do with each other, but already this year we’ve seen twisters come way too close to Alabama’s Bryant-Denny Stadium and the University of Oklahoma’s campus before weather sirens began to have their way with the College World Series’ schedule.

Now add Louisville’s Churchill Downs, the home of the Kentucky Derby. The Courier Journal reported a tornado touched down in the course’s infield, damaging a pair of buildings, but the Associated Press report specified damage to at least five barns and provided the most visual detail: “horses were running loose.”