Kentucky Derby Museum's Riders Up! exhibit reopening after $1M renovations

GUESTS EVEN CLOSER TO THE ACTION. I DON’T WANT TO CRUSH ANY DREAMS HERE, BUT YOU KNOW, ONLY 107 JOCKEYS HAVE EVER WON THE KENTUCKY DERBY. AND CHANCES ARE YOU’RE NOT GOING TO BE ONE OF THEM. BUT NOW, AT THE NEWLY UPDATED RIDERS UP EXHIBIT AT THE KENTUCKY DERBY MUSEUM, IT WILL MAKE YOU FEEL LIKE YOU’RE RUNNING FOR THE ROSES. WELCOME TO THE KENTUCKY DERBY. WHEN THE KENTUCKY DERBY MUSEUM WANTED TO FRESHEN UP ITS RIDERS UP EXHIBIT, THEY TURNED TO THE UK BASED COMPANY, CREATED BY CATALYST, ONE OF THE COMPANY’S DIRECTORS, PHIL COFFIN, SAYS YOU’RE NOT GOING TO FIND ANYTHING LIKE RIDERS UP ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD. IT’S THE MOST ADVANCED, THE MOST HORSE RACING GAME GLOBALLY AND THAT IS DOWN TO ALL THE ELEMENTS IN THE TECHNOLOGY. THE BASIC IDEA OF RIDERS UP REMAINS THE SAME. A GROUP OF PEOPLE RACE ONE ANOTHER IN A SIMULATED VERSION OF THE DERBY, BUT THAT IS ABOUT THE ONLY THING THAT HAS STAYED THE SAME MOTION GRAPHICS, FIVE K SCREENS AND A STATE OF THE ART MOVING PAD HAVE ALL BEEN BROUGHT IN TO MAKE YOU FEEL LIKE YOU’RE RACING ON THE FIRST SATURDAY IN MAY FOR THE KENTUCKY DERBY MUSEUM’S BOBBY MCSWINE THIS BEING A HISTORIC DERBY, HAD A REAL IMPACT ON MAKING THESE CHANGES. RIGHT NOW, AS WE HEAD INTO THE 150TH KENTUCKY DERBY, WE REALLY ARE GOING TO SEIZE ON THIS MOMENT. YOU KNOW, THIS IS A TIME WHERE LOUISVILLE IN THE COUNTRY COMES TOGETHER. AND SO, OF COURSE, AT THE MUSEUM, WE WANT TO STAY ON TOP OF THAT FOR THE FOLKS AT CREATED BY CATALYST, ALLOWING RACE FANS TO CUSTOMIZE THEIR OWN EXPERIENCE WAS AT THE HEART OF WHAT THEY TRIED TO BUILD. WE REALLY WANTED TO POSITION KENTUCKY DERBY EXHIBIT AS LEADING IN THE WORLD IN TERMS OF INNOVATION AND EXPERIENCE. RIGHT NOW, THE FOLKS HERE AT THE KENTUCKY DERBY MUSEUM TELL ME INCLUSIVITY WAS A BIG PART OF WHAT THEY TRIED TO DO. AND ONE OF THE HORSES HERE IS WHEELCHAIR ACCESSIBLE AT T

The Kentucky Derby Museum will reopen its popular Riders Up! exhibit Friday, which has received $1 million in upgrades.The museum worked on the redesign with a UK-based company, Created by Catalyst. One of the company's directors, Phil Coffin, thinks you will not see anything like the new Riders Up! exhibit anywhere in the world."It's the most advanced horse racing game globally, and that depends on all the elements of technology," Coffin said.Running for the RosesThe basic premise of Riders Up! remains the same: groups of museum guests mount a horse and race one another in a simulated Kentucky Derby. However, the experience has been totally redesigned; new graphics, customizable tracks, weather, and state-of-the-art motion pads add to the immersion.The most advanced horse racing game in the world Riders Up! has been an attraction at the Kentucky Derby Museum for nearly 25 years. Communications and social media manager Bobbi McSwine thinks this historic Derby meant the museum wanted to do something big.The newly renovated Riders Up!"As we head into Derby 150, we want to seize on that," McSwine said. "This is a time when Louisville and the rest of the world come together, and of course, we here at the museum want to stay on top of that."The voice of Churchill Downs, Travis Stone, calls each race.Meeting some of the team that helped rebuild Riders Up!

LOUISVILLE, Ky. —

The Kentucky Derby Museum will reopen its popular Riders Up! exhibit Friday, which has received $1 million in upgrades.

The museum worked on the redesign with a UK-based company, Created by Catalyst. One of the company's directors, Phil Coffin, thinks you will not see anything like the new Riders Up! exhibit anywhere in the world.

"It's the most advanced horse racing game globally, and that depends on all the elements of technology," Coffin said.

Running for the Roses

The basic premise of Riders Up! remains the same: groups of museum guests mount a horse and race one another in a simulated Kentucky Derby.

However, the experience has been totally redesigned; new graphics, customizable tracks, weather, and state-of-the-art motion pads add to the immersion.

The most advanced horse racing game in the world

Riders Up! has been an attraction at the Kentucky Derby Museum for nearly 25 years. Communications and social media manager Bobbi McSwine thinks this historic Derby meant the museum wanted to do something big.

The newly renovated Riders Up!

"As we head into Derby 150, we want to seize on that," McSwine said. "This is a time when Louisville and the rest of the world come together, and of course, we here at the museum want to stay on top of that."

The voice of Churchill Downs, Travis Stone, calls each race.

Meeting some of the team that helped rebuild Riders Up!

Kentucky Derby Museum's Riders Up! exhibit reopening after $1M renovations

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