Yum! Brands has announced a five-year extension of its sponsorship of the Kentucky Derby after signing a deal with Churchill Downs Racetrack.

Yum! Brands, which, like Churchill Downs, is based in Louisville, is the parent company of KFC, Pizza Hut, Taco Bell and Long John Silver’s.

The partnership, which began in 2006, will now run until at least 2015 and will ensure that the race continues to be run as the ‘Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands’.

“Churchill Downs is very pleased to have reached this agreement with Yum! Brands, a great corporate citizen in our hometown, that extends its presenting sponsorship of the Kentucky Derby for five more years,” said Kevin Flanery, president of Churchill Downs Racetrack.

“Our partnership with Yum! Brands has been positive for both companies and good for the Kentucky Derby, an event that is a great American tradition and a springtime sports party known and loved around the world.”

The Kentucky Derby, which takes place in May each year, is one of the oldest and most prestigious races in North America. It is the first leg of the triple crown of US thoroughbred racing and the prize fund currently stands at US$2 million.