The Churchill Downs Inc. board of directors has elected James McDonald and Alex Rankin to positions of director to serve until the 2010 annual meeting of the company’s shareholders.

The additions of McDonald and Rankin fill the vacancy left by Seth Hancock’s departure in June, and increase the current number of directors from 12 to 13.

McDonald served for 12 years as chairman, president, and chief executive officer of Scientific Atlanta Inc., which provides a comprehensive array of products, systems, and services for cable operators, telecommunication companies, programmers and broadcasters.
 
McDonald earned a bachelor’s degree and a master’s degree in electrical engineering from the University of Kentucky, where he played basketball for Coach Adolph Rupp.

Rankin is the president and co-owner of Sterling G. Thompson Company, an insurance agency and broker in Louisville, and president of Upson Downs Farm in Goshen, Kentucky. He holds a bachelor’s degree with honors from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

“Churchill Downs Incorporated is delighted to welcome this pair of outstanding directors to our company,” Churchill Downs Inc. Chairman Carl F. Pollard said.

“Jim is an experienced telecommunications expert who brings a vast amount of experience and knowledge to CDI’s leadership team. Alex is a highly respected Thoroughbred owner and breeder whose expertise will be a tremendous asset to the board of directors. They are welcome additions and will bring excellent perspective to the team.”