Churchill announces 2016 Kentucky Oaks Survivors Parade participants

Edited Press Release

Churchill Downs Racetrack and its charitable partners Bright Pink® and Horses and Hope on Wednesday announced the 142 breast and ovarian cancer survivors selected from across the nation to walk in the 2016 Kentucky Oaks Survivors Parade.

The 142 selected survivors are listed at kentuckyderby.com/survivors.

The eighth annual Survivors Parade will take place on Churchill Downs’ historic racetrack immediately prior to the running of the 142nd Kentucky Oaks (G1) on May 6, the day before the Kentucky Derby (G1). The $1 million Kentucky Oaks is America’s premier race for three-year-old fillies and the third most attended horse race in the United States behind the Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes.

This year’s parade participants were selected through an online process in which the public nominated and selected the individuals to champion breast and ovarian cancer awareness in this year’s Survivors Parade. More than 500 survivors were nominated from across the United States and Canada.

The 142 survivors selected are from cities as wide ranging as Fort Worth, Texas; New Orleans, Louisiana; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; Greenville, Rhodes Island; Lincoln Park, Michigan; Estes Park, Colorado; Palm City, Florida; Scottsdale, Arizona; Dorchester, Massachusetts; Shallow Lake, Ontario; and Louisville, Kentucky.

The online process also invites the public to donate to Bright Pink, a national breast and ovarian cancer organization, through the Kentucky Derby weekend. The process has raised more than $25,000 this year, a more than 50 percent increase from 2015.

The public may read the survivors’ stories and make donations to Bright Pink through May 8 at kentuckyderby.com/survivors.

“Churchill Downs is excited to welcome the survivors in this year’s Parade,” said Ryan Jordan, general manager of Churchill Downs Racetrack. “This will be the eighth year that we have banded together with survivors, our partners and our fans in an effort to make a real difference in the fight against breast and ovarian cancer.”

The Survivors Parade is part of Churchill Downs’ Kentucky Oaks eighth annual Pink Out, during which the track conducts fundraising, provides outreach and drives national breast and ovarian health awareness. Churchill Downs has donated more than $740,000 to breast cancer organizations through the Pink Out celebration during the past seven years.

“Bright Pink is so honored to be part of this special tradition and to receive such incredible support from the Kentucky Oaks community,” said Lindsay Avner, founder and CEO of Bright Pink. “We hope the 142 breast and ovarian cancer survivors will walk tall and proud, knowing that Bright Pink and Churchill Downs are committed to the prevention and early detection of these diseases for generations to come.”

Churchill Downs photo courtesy of Jim Tyrrell/Horsephotos.com