LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Churchill Downs is helping visitors get into the Halloween spirit. It's offering after-hours tours of the true stories that racing fans often don't hear.
It is a worldwide icon and the pinnacle of racing's finest.
Countless athletes arrive to Churchill Downs with the intent of leaving as legendary greats. Behind the cheers and chants that made headlines are the stories that made headlines for a different reason.
"In 144 years, you have a lot of other horses and people who make up the fabric of the history, and this tour focuses on some of the more unfortunate ones," says Ronnie Dreistadt, Manager of Education Services for Churchill Downs.
The Kentucky Derby Museum invites guests to re-live derbies past on its Horses and Haunts walking tour this October.
"Most of the stories, unfortunately, are taken right out of the newspapers, and the things that happen in real life are probably much scarier than a ghost could do," Dreistadt said. "All of the stories have been researched and corroborated, and we really don't have to embellish anything. They really speak for themselves."
One story is under the twin spires where visitors have reported seeing misty images at betting window 1109. "A young man walked up to a window in 1904 and literally put his life on the line. He went to a pawn shop and took his last $27 and put it all to win on a horse, and I'll just say the horse didn't win."
The one-and-a-half hour Wednesday evening tours take visitors around the grounds of Churchill Downs. "The more haunted areas that we get people talking about is back at the museum," Dreistadt said. "Sometimes the elevators will go up and down in the museum with out anybody on it."
The museum was formerly a jockey hospital. "This one guy who worked in our AV department heard crying coming through a television. This was back in the 1980s."
Albert Snyder had the mount on 1948 Triple Crown winner Citation. He was celebrating his big break on a fishing trip with friends. "A big storm blew up and Snyder and two of his friends were never found, and it was the largest manhunt in Florida history for a long time, but no trace of Al Snyder was ever found. Snyder's friend Eddie Arcaro got the mount on citation, and the rest is history."
The tour has grown in true stories since the museum began offering it 10 years ago. "Just to be walking through Churchill Downs in the evening when no one else is around at night, it gives it a whole different perspective and just a unique way to get into the Halloween spirit," said Lindsay English, Communications Manager for the Kentucky Derby Museum.
The intent of the tour has stayed the same. "It's also an opportunity for their stories to be heard," Dreistadt said.
Guests will get in the spooky spirit while appreciating the ones who shined and the others who maybe never got the chance.
The Horses and Haunts walking tour is not recommended for children. Guests are asked to meet in front of the Kentucky Derby Museum at 7 p.m. each Wednesday in October. They're asked to buy their tickets beforehand online or on site. The tour is $15.
The Kentucky Derby Museum is also hosting its Horses, Haunts & Hooch event on Thursday, October 25, which is a spin-off to the tour, but with a party atmosphere.
Click here for ticket information.
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