Kentucky Derby 2011 : Tote Failure Causes Delay, Oaks Now Scheduled for 6 p.m.

According to a tweet by Darren Rogers, Senior Director for Communications and Media Services for Churchill Downs, a tote failure has caused a 15-minute delay for all of Friday's remaining Churchill Downs races, including the 137th Kentucky Oaks presented by Yum! Brands.

It was apparently a temporary failure and has since been corrected. The failure occurred on-track and at one simulcast facility only and lasted about 10 to 15 minutes. 

According to Rogers, approximately 1,000 betting windows, 300 Bet Pros & 275 self-serve machines on-track were affected by the tote error. The majority are now back up and error-free.

Trackside Louisville, an off-site simulcast facility that uses the same system, was also affected. One hundred and fifty machines, half manned, half self-serve, had problems. 

The Churchill Downs communication department was not able to confirm at this time whether any bets were lost as a result of the tote failure.

As a result of the technological glitch, all races for the remainder of Friday afternoon will now go off 15 minutes later than originally scheduled.

The Kentucky Oaks, originally scheduled for 5:45pm and to air live nationwide on Versus, will now go off at 6pm.

Versus originally planned to end its Kentucky Oaks coverage at 6pm, but according to a separate tweet by Rogers, it will extend its broadcast to air the race in its entirety.

For more information on the Kentucky Oaks and other races of Kentucky Derby weekend, please click here. More information about the tote failure will be posted on the blog as it becomes available.

You can follow me @bsd987 for quick tweets as well over the course of the next 30 hours of Derby mayhem.