presents...
EXPOSITION DOWNS
Area Music
Backstory
The Springs Grand Centennial Expo of 1950 celebrated the 100th anniversary of the discovery of the springs and the founding of the Glowing Oak Ranch by Martin Sinclair. His great-grandson, Martin Sinclair IV, and his wife, Claire,carried on the family tradition of the Glowing Oak Restaurant, which provided all the meals at the exposition. One of the most popular attractions at the expo was “Exposition Downs,” a Prior & Church racing derby, one of the few authentic racing derbies left operating in America. Originally built in 1920 for the Revere Beach Amusement Park in Revere Beach, Massachusetts, it was believed for years to have been destroyed in a fire, but shortly before the exposition it was found stored dismantled in a barn near its original site. The poor condition made it impossible to restore, but enough survived to allow the exposition’s designers to recreate it as the featured amusement attraction at the expo.
Claire Sinclair loved riding Exposition Downs, and rarely let a day go by without climbing aboard her favorite horse and challenging her husband Martin to a race- the loser had to wash the restaurant dishes for the rest of the day! As a surprise for his wife, Martin purchased Exposition Downs after the fair closed and preserved it on-site so that Claire could ride it as often as she wanted. They continued to ride it every day, rain or shine, and continued to make the loser wash the dishes until just a few days before she passed away. Martin insisted that Exposition Downs be forever operated in her memory for future visitors to the Springs, and to this day his grandson, Martin Sinclair VI, still invites visitors to ride the race horses- but he doesn’t expect them to wash the dishes if they lose!
Location in Disney Springs
This exciting new addition to Disney Springs will take up residence at Exposition Park, found in the West Side district. Now, such a big addition requires a ton of space, so it shall be found on the grounds where series of food trucks are. However, since the food trucks are fan favorites, we'll move them to a newly expanded land plot in-between the West Side boat launch and the Cirque du Soleil theater. The former food truck area has been transformed into a beautiful garden, with various topiaries and shrubbery surrounding the derby.
Area Map
The reason Exposition Downs was chosen to be placed at the threshold of Disney Springs West Side was twofold. In keeping with the Disney Springs storyline, West Side began to evolve in the 1950s along with the purchase of the Exposition Downs attraction, as The Landing, Marketplace, and Town Center had all grown towards capacity. Exposition Downs now provides a more seamless transition from classical architecture of a bygone era - to the more contemporary designs of West Side. Simultaneously, to further soften the transition between time-periods, the Starbucks coffee shop to the east of Exposition Park will be rethemed to resemble a derby coffee shop, with assorted themed horse racing memorabilia scattered throughout the interior and exterior.
Attraction Queue
The entrance queue to Exposition Downs is lined with immaculately-painted white wooden fences, reminiscent of the miles of fences that define the hundreds of horse meadows that fill the state of Kentucky which surround the dozens of thoroughbred racetracks across the country. Around the fences there are bright cherry trees and jade green bushes with blooming flowers. Does this sound familiar? You might be reminiscing of Saratoga Springs. With a beautiful fountain next to the queue, we try bringing some of Saratoga Springs to the this ride. There are also several small meadows where topiary race horses appear to be grazing on the rich Kentucky bluegrass and beds of flowers that surround the Exposition Derby. After waiting a bit, you arrive to your horse getting ready for the race.
Attraction Vehicles
The Equestrian Mounts represent elegant horses, that are made of a material that appears to look like porcelain. There are 64 different horses for guests to ride on. To help guests differentiate the horses, the caparisons (the blankets covering the horses under their saddles) are made out of bronze-like ornamentation that are decorated in different patterns and colors. On top of the caparisons are golden saddles for guests to board on. The rest of the racing derby is just as elegant as the horses - an all- white tent, with floral designs, and a golden roof.
The horses will gallop up and down around a bronze statue of Citation, a famous race horse who won the Triple Crown in 1948. The horses are near each other, giving the illusion of a race! The race will have ten "laps" before finishing.
Attraction Ride-Through Sample
Exposition Downs Ride Statistics
Attraction Style: Racing Derby
Diameter of platform : 93 feet
Circumference of platform : 292 feet
Maximum speed: 14 m.p.h.
Number of revolutions/cycle :10
Number of horses : 62 horses
Number of handicapped-accessible ride vehicles (horse-drawn surreys with mechanized horses)* : 2 (two riders/surrey)
Maximum number of riders/ride : 128 (two/horse or surrey)
Height limitation : 36” minimum/solo
Restraints : Seat belt
Ride manufacturer (original) Prior and Church
Ride requirements : Each horse rider must have one upper extremity and two lower extremities, must be able to securely straddle the horse with both legs and must be able to mount and dismount the horse with minimal assistance.
*must be able to transfer from wheelchair or mobility -assistance vehicle to ride vehicle
Exposition Downs uses the original Prior and Church-designed mechanism to operate the horses. A combination of cables and wheels, along with a wavy under-the-platform rail allows four horses, side-by-side, to move both up-and-down and randomly back-and-forth while constantly “changing the lead”. The weight of the rider is irrelevant in determining which horse will win each race.
THOROUGHBRED CHARITIES OF AMERICA
There is a charge of $2.00 per rider for each ride on the Exposition Downs. 95% of all funds generated by the Exposition Downs is donated to the Thoroughbred Charities of America, a charitable organization that raises and distributes money to assist with Thoroughbred horse rehabilitation, retraining and rehoming; backstretch and farm employee programs, and equine-assisted therapy programs.
MERCHANDISE
Upon exiting the Exposition Downs, riders enter the Exposition Stables and Gift Shop, where everyone from would-be Derby-winning jockeys to the casual horse racing fan can find fun collectibles, horse-race-themed clothing items, charms and jewelry, lucky horseshoes and a unique selection of Exposition Downs Disney trading pins among many other items. The shop itself represents a finely-crafted thoroughbred horse stable, with finely-crafted hard-wood stalls, authentic race-horse gear handing on the walls and ceiling fans gently moving the air to keep the horses- and shoppers- comfortable after a heated race on the Exposition Downs.
95% of the profits from the gift shop are also donated to the Thoroughbred Charities of America.
Attraction Advertising Integration
As part of an effort to aggrandize the marketability of this attraction and enhancement of Disney Springs, Exposition Downs became the new 'icon' of the park - and main advertising campaign around the greater Orlando area to entice local shoppers as well Disney guests. With the old fashioned motif on hand, Disney Springs separates itself from other malls and outlet malls in the greater Orlando area with the essence of quality Disney theme and family fun as seen through Exposition Downs.
On April 11th, 2020, Exposition Downs will open to the public. This date marks Citation’s 75th Birthday! On the special day, Disney will have a big celebration with an hour long special on ABC. This special will showcase Citation and other horse races. The last 10 minutes of the special will be a live broadcast of the opening of the ride! Other than the special, there will be shirts, banners, and even a real horse to greet guests!!
Conclusion
Overall, horse derbies can be fun whether riding on a horse or watching from the sidelines. When thinking of a carousel or horse, we want you think of the fun time you had on Exposition Downs. We want you to remember seeing the bright yellow colors, the bronze statue of Citation, and remember the thrilling journey of riding your horse. With that, come on down and have the wildest horse ride ever!
