TIVP055: Churchill Downs, Inc. (CHDN): Investing in the Greatest Two Minutes in Sports w/ Shawn O’Malley & Daniel Mahncke

The Intrinsic Value Podcast - The Investor’s Podcast Network

The Investor's Podcast Network

Investing, Education, Business

4.6 • 593 Ratings

🗓️ 18 January 2026

⏱️ 73 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Shawn O’Malley and Daniel Mahncke break down Churchill Downs, Inc. (ticker: CHDN), a gaming company that is uniquely tied to the world of horse racing. IN THIS EPISODE, YOU’LL LEARN: 00:00:00 - Intro 00:02:48 - What makes the Kentucky Derby such a cherished event and a masterclass on luxury hospitality 00:05:30 - Why Churchill Downs is so much more than just a gambling company 00:07:54 - What to make of the surge in historical racing machines that are powering the company’s growth 00:17:22 - Why Churchill Downs gave up on mobile-app-based casino gaming 00:34:16 - How the company has used its relationships and lobbying powers to protect its business and even lower its taxes 00:38:18 - The risks and moats of entrenched gambling businesses 00:40:43 - What the future of horse racing looks like 00:45:09 - Why Churchill Downs is such an asset-heavy business 00:57:27 - How to think about modeling CHDN’s intrinsic value 01:01:21 - Whether Shawn and Daniel add CHDN to their Intrinsic Value Portfolio *Disclaimer: Slight timestamp discrepancies may occur due to podcast platform differences. BOOKS AND RESOURCES The Investors Podcast Network is excited to debut a new community known as The Intrinsic Value Community for investors to learn, share ideas, network, and join calls with experts: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Sign up for the waitlist(!)⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Sign up for ⁠⁠⁠⁠The Intrinsic Value Newsletter.⁠⁠⁠⁠ Shawn & Daniel use ⁠⁠Fiscal.ai⁠⁠ for every company they research — use their ⁠⁠referral link⁠⁠ to get started with a 15% discount! Learn how to ⁠⁠join us⁠⁠ in Omaha for the 2026 Berkshire Hathaway shareholder meeting. 2023 Value Investors Club pitch for CHDN. 2025 Value Investors Club pitch for CHDN. Churchill Downs’ investor relations page. Explore our previous Intrinsic Value breakdowns: ⁠Uber⁠, ⁠Nike⁠, ⁠Reddit⁠, ⁠Nintendo⁠, ⁠Airbnb⁠, ⁠AutoZone⁠, ⁠Alphabet,⁠ ⁠Ulta,⁠ ⁠John Deere,⁠ ⁠Madison Square Garden Sports⁠. Related ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠books⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ mentioned in the podcast. Ad-free episodes on our ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Premium Feed⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. NEW TO THE SHOW? Follow our official social media accounts: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠X (Twitter)⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Facebook⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Browse through all our episodes (complete with transcripts) ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Try Shawn's favorite tool for picking stock winners and managing our portfolios: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠TIP Finance⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Enjoy exclusive perks from our ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠favorite Apps and Services⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Learn how to better start, manage, and grow your business with the ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠best business podcasts⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ References to any third-party products, services, or advertisers do not constitute endorsements, and The Investors Podcast Network is not responsible for any claims made by them. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://theinvestorspodcastnetwork.supportingcast.fm

Transcript

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0:00.0	We've come across a handful of really cool trophy assets on the show, but most of the time,
0:05.0	the associated business is barely even profitable.
0:09.0	We saw that with Manchester United and Madison Square Garden Sports, and yet you're telling me that
0:15.0	there is an event that occurs once a year that is an exception to this rule.
0:19.0	That's exactly what I'm saying. Behind the famous Kentucky Derby race in all its pageantry,
0:24.1	which attracts something like five times the number of attendees as a Super Bowl over the course
0:27.5	of a week, is a gambling empire owned by Churchill Downs Incorporated. And the company is, well,
0:34.4	a trophy asset holder and profitable compounder.
0:42.9	You're listening to the Intrinsic Value podcast by the Investors Podcast Network.
0:47.8	Since 2014, with over 180 million downloads, we've learned directly from the world to best investors. Now, we're applying those lessons to analyze businesses and investment opportunities every week, helping you uncover intrinsic value. And now, here are your hosts, Sean O'Malley and Daniel Monka.
1:19.6	Today we are off to the races and no it's not because we are covering Ferrari. Once again, it's because Sean is pitching Churchill Downs, ticker C-H-D-N.
1:24.6	And this is at its core, a gambling company, you might say, which may immediately
1:29.7	rub some listeners the wrong way, but at the same time, you could argue it is equally as
1:34.7	much hospitality and even an event's business. The company's crown jewel is the beloved
1:39.9	Kentucky Derby horse race bonanza that as a German I had somehow never heard of before until
1:46.0	Sean made me aware of just how wildly popular the two-minute race and associated festivities
1:51.5	are in the US. And as far as I understand it, not unlike Formula One races or the Super Bowl,
1:58.2	the Kentucky Derby is more of a cultural event and a party for the wealthy
2:02.3	than it is simply a sporting event. But before I let you take it from here, Sean, I should
2:07.2	mention that nothing on this show, as always, is meant to be taking as financial advice,
2:11.7	and it's only meant for educational and entertainment purposes. And I should also mention that
2:16.4	we are welcoming our fourth cohort of members into the
	...

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