LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Thousands of racing fans will have a new place under the Twin Spires in 2022 to watch the Kentucky Derby.

A topping-off ceremony was held Friday on Churchill Downs' $90 million First Turn Experience that officials said will give fans the best view possible of the Twin Spires, the grandstand and the finish line.

The space can fit more than 5,000 fans, and the No. 1 thing people asked for in the project was covered seating.

Churchill Downs Topping-Off Ceremony

"It's a recurring theme that they say, 'We want covered seats,'" said Mike Anderson, president for Churchill Downs. "So we listened to them. ... and we made sure our design for this place had those covered seats in place."

At full capacity, 5,300 fans will stay dry around the first turn if it rains on the first Saturday in May. Another 2,000 on the lower club level will have a climate-controlled environment and a terrace that takes them right to the rail.

Friday's topping-off ceremony celebrated placement of the final steel beam. What used to be a grassy knoll is now transformed thanks to a Louisville company that started its work at the track with a $3 million project in 2014.

"We currently have over $300 million in projects under construction for Churchill Downs," said John Hinshaw, president of Calhoun Construction. "This will be our eighth Derby opening a project for Churchill Downs."

The project will be complete for Derby 149 in May 2023. But there is more on the horizon. It will be followed by the $80 million Derby City Gaming downtown entertainment complex in about a year, and, for Derby 150 in 2024, the stadium-like, $200 million project to transform the paddock at Churchill Downs.

"In the past decade, Churchill Downs has reinvested nearly $1 billion back into our state," Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear said.

You'll have to spend a little to partake in the first-ever First Turn Experience. A two-day all-inclusive ticket for Oaks and Derby will run about $1,200 for covered seating and $2,600 for club premium accommodations.

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