Visa returns to the Kentucky Derby with a new multi-year partnership

Type: Distribution, payment access and fan experiences
Sport: Horse Racing
Announced: October 2026

Visa has been named a Signature Partner of Churchill Downs and preferred payment partner of the 153rd Kentucky Derby, bringing cardholder benefits and exclusive experiences to one of horse racing’s biggest events.

• Churchill Downs Racetrack has signed a multi-year partnership with Visa, naming the payments company the preferred payment partner of Churchill Downs and the 153rd Kentucky Derby. The deal gives Visa a presence around the iconic race and creates opportunities to connect with fans beyond race day, including through travel, fashion, food and hospitality.
• Visa and Churchill Downs will develop exclusive offers for Visa cardholders and clients during Derby Weekend, alongside access to Churchill Downs experiences and enhanced purchase options. Further activations are still being discussed, with the partnership designed to reach fans across the extended planning journey, from buying tickets and arranging travel to preparing for race day.

• “It’s a highly relevant platform that connects a lot of things together for us in a way a few events can do: It’s an iconic event whose relevance extends beyond the race, where fans can participate through travel, fashion, hosting parties, culture and food,” said Andrea Fairchild, SVP, Global Sponsorship Strategy at Visa.
• Eric Thomson, SVP of Marketing & Partnerships for Churchill Downs Racetrack, highlighted how engagement with the Derby stretches across much of the year: “The reality is that our consumers are interacting with the Kentucky Derby like 150 days of the year, if you think about when they’re planning to, when they’re planning their trip, purchasing their tickets, choosing what to wear on race day.”
• The partnership also marks Visa’s return to the Derby after previously sponsoring the event from 2006 to 2010. The company also served as title sponsor of the Visa Triple Crown Triple from 2001 through 2005, connecting it with the Kentucky Derby, Preakness Stakes and Belmont Stakes.

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