Alex Rankin recently was elected chairman of the board of directors at Churchill Downs Inc. He had served as vice chairman since October 2017. Rankin’s term will begin April 24 when he will replace G. Watts Humphrey Jr., a 20-year CDI board member and chairman since 2016.
Rankin is president of the Sterling G. Thompson insurance company in Louisville. A Thoroughbred owner and breeder operating Upson Downs farm in Goshen, Kentucky, Rankin is a member of the Jockey Club, a former Breeders’ Cup director and former president of the Kentucky Thoroughbred Association. He joined the CDI board in 2008.
The board also nominated to Class I board seats Karole F. Lloyd, a certified public accountant who formerly served as vice chair at Ernst & Young, and CDI Chairman William Carstanjen, who outlined CDI’s goals during a recent earnings call about fourth quarter 2017. CDI had just purchased Presque Isle Downs racetrack and casino in Pennsylvania, which Carstanjen said “gives us a foothold in Pennsylvania, which has recently passed legislation authorizing real money online gaming.” He added Ainsworth Game Technology will manufacture the historic racing machines to be installed at the former Trackside off-track wagering site in Louisville.
Humphrey, a prominent Thoroughbred owner and breeder, owns Shawnee Farm near Harrodsburg. He, along with prior CDI Chief Executive Officer and Chairman Bob Evans and board member Craig Duchossois announced they will not stand for re-election. Duchossois and his father, Richard Duchossois, both said last year they will leave the company they joined in 2000 with the merger of Arlington Park into CDI.
CDI is a publicly traded company that owns several racetracks, casinos and the TwinSpires wagering platform.
