INFRA

Cisco goes to the races with new Churchill Downs multiyear partnership

Cisco Systems Inc. today announced that it has landed a new multiyear partnership with Churchill Downs Inc. to modernize the network infrastructure across its racing venues and casinos, with work set to begin in late 2026.

Churchill Downs is best known for the horse racing track of the same name that hosts the annual Kentucky Derby, the biggest annual horse race in the U.S., although the company also owns a range of casinos, resorts and other horse racing tracks. As part of the deal, Cisco is being appointed the Official Enterprise Networking and Network Infrastructure Partner of the Kentucky Derby.

The deal includes a network refresh that will cover more than 7,000 switches and a modernized routing fabric spanning Churchill Downs’ 12 regional casinos and 18 live and historical racing venues.

Churchill Downs will manage the infrastructure through Cisco Catalyst Center for centralized control over provisioning, policy enforcement and software upgrades across the estate. Cisco Catalyst Center reduces manual intervention through zero-touch provisioning and orchestrated rolling upgrades that minimize downtime during transitions.

Churchill Downs will also be using the Splunk Observability Cloud to monitor application and infrastructure performance across its digital environment. That includes TwinSpires.com, the company’s online wagering platform, which sees significant traffic spikes during Kentucky Derby week. Cisco Success Tracks will handle asset management and proactive software maintenance across the network.

The practical targets for the upgrade are both fans and internal operations.

For the more than 150,000 attendees at the Kentucky Derby each year, Churchill Downs is looking to support mobile ticketing, high-definition content sharing and access to betting platforms without connectivity issues. On the operational side, the infrastructure will also support point-of-sale systems for food, beverage and wagering transactions running concurrently across the venue.

“Racetracks like Churchill Downs don’t just require speed on the track — they demand it from their networks,” said Anurag Dhingra, senior vice president and general manager of enterprise connectivity at collaboration at Cisco. “Cisco’s networking technology delivers real-time, reliable connectivity that keeps every moment, from the grandstands to the winner’s circle, running flawlessly.”

The deal is another win for Cisco in its expanding sports and entertainment portfolio. Cisco currently has network deals with the McLaren Mastercard Formula 1 team, Real Madrid F.C., the United States Golf Association, Live Nation Entertainment and Madison Square Garden.

Photo: Wikimedia Commons