Churchill Downs

Churchill Downs is the home of the Kentucky Derby, the oldest continuously held sporting event in America for 3-year-old thoroughbreds. Aristides, owned by H.P. McGrath and ridden by black jockey Oliver Lewis, won the first Derby in 1875. Meriwether Lewis Clark Jr., grandson of explorer Wm. Clark, named and modeled the Ky. Derby after the English Epson Derby. The track, owned by the Churchill family, was named in the 1880s. Twin spires, designed by J. Baldez, were built in 1895. Pari-mutuel betting machines were introduced in 1908. Other track events included state fairs, band concerts, auto and airplane races, military horse and tank shows, and a train wreck. The first radio broadcast came in 1925 and the first television broadcast in 1949.

Louisville, Kentucky · United States