The Kentucky Derby

Two Minutes. Everything on the Line.

Customer Story · Lumen Technologies

The Kentucky Derby lasts about two minutes. Making it happen takes all year.

We made a short documentary about the people and technology behind the race, and the enormous amount of preparation that goes into a day when nothing can go down.

The Story

Every May, Churchill Downs effectively becomes a small city.

More than 20 million people watch the Derby from home. Hundreds of millions of dollars are wagered. Broadcast, security, ticketing, food service and thousands of phones all hit the network at once.

On Derby Day, bandwidth at Churchill Downs can reach 25 times its normal load.

Lumen provides the network behind much of it.

But we didn't want to make a film about bandwidth. We wanted to make a film about preparation.

That led us to Bill Vest, Chief Trainer at Churchill Downs, whose job is to spend all year preparing horses for a race that lasts two minutes.

The Work

We filmed at Churchill Downs twice: first in the Kentucky summer, then again in the middle of winter.

For the final shoot, we were up at 4 a.m. filming Bill and his horses at an empty Churchill Downs.

His routine became the backbone of the film. As Bill talked about the months of preparation behind a two-minute race, we moved between his world and the Lumen infrastructure that has to be just as ready on Derby Day.

The result was a film about preparation, told through a guy who lives it every day.

My Role

Creative Director & Director

  • Developed the story and creative approach

  • Directed the shoot at Churchill Downs

  • Led the film through post

  • Worked directly with Lumen and Churchill Downs leadership throughout

Impact

Derby Day

  • 21.8M at-home viewers

  • Broadcast in 170 countries

  • $349M wagered

  • 25× normal bandwidth

  • 154 racehorses under 24/7 surveillance

Sales

  • 502 marketing-qualified leads

  • 377 sales-qualified leads

  • 102 deals influenced

  • 76 new Network-as-a-Service customers

  • 50% offer take rate

  • Port sales topped $100K for the first time, roughly 20% above the recent monthly average

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