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LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- A possible tornado damaged several horse barns at Churchill Downs, prompting track officials to halt races Thursday at the famed Kentucky Derby horse track.

Some horses have been moved to private farms, Keeneland racetrack in Lexington and to different barns at the facility, track president Kevin Flanery said.

Flanery said multiple barns sustained damage after 8 p.m. ET Wednesday when the storms blew through the area, knocking down poles, trees and power to thousands in Louisville.

Flanery called off Thursday's racing card while workers assess damage and do repairs, but said he was optimistic racing can resume Friday and continue uninterrupted for the remaining nine days of the spring meet.

"We're going to try and make this as easy as possible for those affected," Flanery said.

John Gordon, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Louisville, said crews were out Thursday morning checking three areas where possible tornadoes were reported. He said it's "highly probable" that one hit near Churchill Downs.

Flanery said if a tornado is confirmed, it would be the first one known to strike Churchill Downs.

Track chaplain Ken Boehm said the walls, siding and roof at the chapel at the track were damaged. Dozens of groups have offered to help move debris, Boehm said.

"The church is a building, period," Boehm said. "The real church is flesh and blood."

The track has arranged to evacuate roughly 150 horses to the nearby Kentucky Fair and Exposition Center if needed, but Flanery was hopeful the remaining barn space at the track would be adequate.

Track officials were also working with the American Red Cross and local emergency management officials to provide temporary shelter for about 100 stable workers whose accommodations were damaged by the winds.

At the peak of the storm, the Kentucky Public Service Commission reported several thousand customers without power. That number was down to 120 in Louisville and an unknown number near Hazard in eastern Kentucky.

Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press

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