Churchill Downs (Louisville-Jefferson County, Kentucky)

USA / Kentucky / Parkway Village / Louisville-Jefferson County, Kentucky / Central Avenue, 700
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700 Central Avenue
Louisville, KY 40208
Main phone: (502) 636-4400
www.churchilldowns.com/

Location of the Kentucky Derby each year. The racing season runs from late April to early July and late October through November. Derby Day is the first Saturday in May.

The track is named for John and Henry Churchill, who leased 80 acres of land to their nephew, Colonel Meriwether Lewis Clark, Jr. (grandson of explorer William Clark). Clark was president of the Louisville Jockey Club and Driving Park Association, which formed in 1874. His father-in-law, Richard Ten Broeck, was an accomplished horse breeder and trainer, and introduced Clark to horse racing, attending the English Derby at Epsom Downs outside London.

The twin spires atop the grandstands are the most recognizable architectural feature of Churchill Downs and are used as a symbol of the track and the Derby. They were designed by architect Joseph Dominic Baldez and built in 1895.

The Kentucky Derby was first run at 1.5 miles (2.4 km), the same distance as the Epsom Derby and the Grand Prix de Paris. In 1896, the distance was changed to its current 1.25 miles (2 km). On May 17, 1875, in front of an estimated crowd of 10,000 people, a field of 15 three-year-old horses contested the first Derby. Under jockey Oliver Lewis, a colt named Aristides, who was trained by future Hall of Famer, Ansel Williamson, won the inaugural Derby. Later that year, Lewis rode Aristides to a second-place finish in the Belmont Stakes.

www.churchilldowns.com/about/history
Wikipedia article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Churchill_Downs
Nearby cities:
Coordinates:   38°12'8"N   85°46'20"W

Comments

  • Wow, due to all the branding as this being a very classy establishment I thought Churchill Downs was out in the country somewhere. Instead its in the middle of a large city by the airport. How they get people in fancy hats to come to such a place I'll never know.
This article was last modified 2 years ago