LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- The Kentucky Derby won't get the same special federal treatment that guarded the Super Bowl and is keeping the Winter Olympic Games secure.

Louisville Police Chief Greg Smith said Thursday that he was "unofficially" told that the Derby won't receive the National Security Special Event designation that track and city officials asked for in December.

The designation was extended to sporting events after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11. Thus far, only the Feb. 3 Super Bowl in New Orleans and the Winter Games in Salt Lake City have been granted the federal money, security expertise and added manpower that comes with the status.

"I was told today informally by the local Secret Service office that the designation won't come," Smith said Thursday.

Mayor Dave Armstrong said he has received no official word from Washington on the designation.

More than 250,000 fans, along with international dignitaries, wealthy thoroughbred owners and celebrities turn out at Churchill Downs each year for two days of nationally televised races. Along with events at the track, Thunder Over Louisville and the Pegasus Parade draw hundreds of thousands of spectators to the riverfront and downtown Louisville.

Those two events, each "a security nightmare," will be handled much in the same way they were last year, Smith said.

Churchill officials say security is still in the planning stage, though this year, safety has become a top priority.

"We're confident that, if 150,000 people show up on Kentucky Derby day, we're going to be able to handle it," Churchill spokesman John Asher said.

Smith said he'll increase the number of city officers on patrol at the track from last year's 80. There will be a focus on police visibility; many of the undercover detectives that usually patrol the track will be in uniform, Smith said.

"We're not going to place a priority on some of the detective work that they've done in the past," Smith said.