Churchill Downs and the Kentucky Derby are inextricably linked. Both were by-products of one man’s vision – to conduct horse races similar to those he saw in Europe back home in Kentucky – which eventually became “The Most Exciting Two Minutes in Sports.”
Let’s get to know more about Churchill Downs – the historic venue for the first leg of the Triple Crown, how it came to be and what it has become now.
It was Colonel Meriwether Lewis Clark who came up with the idea to stage a horse racing event similar to the ones he witnessed in England and France. But in order to have an event, it first needed a venue.
After leasing 80 acres of land from his uncles, John and Henry Chruchill, for whom the track would later be named after in 1883, Clark raised money for construction of Churchill Downs in Louisville by forming the Louisville Jockey Club and selling membership subscriptions to the track. Churchill Downs was constructed along the Louisville and Nashville Railroad tracks, for the easier transport of horses.
The First Race
The first official race day at Churchill Downs took place on May 17, 1875, which was witnessed by around 10,000 spectators.
There were three major stakes on that first day – the Kentucky Derby, Kentucky Oaks and the Clark Handicap. They were patterned after the English races which Clark saw – the Epsom Derby, Epsom Oaks and St. Leger Stakes. The length of the first Kentucky Derby was 1.5 miles, as Clark was a fan of longer races.
Bonaventure was the first ever winner at the track, while Aristides won the very first Kentucky Derby.
Ownership Changes
Clark later sold the track in 1893 to a group led by William Applegate and William F. Schulte. They made some important changes to the track, one of which was shortening the length of the Kentucky Derby from 1.5 miles to 1.25 miles in 1896, which remains the race’s length to this day.
It was also under the new ownership when the famous twin spire grandstand, which has become the symbol of the track and the Derby, was commissioned in 1895 with the design by architect Joseph Dominic Baldez.
The track would change ownership a couple more times before it came under the control of Col. Matt Winn. It was under Winn’s adminstration of Churchill Downs that the Derby finally grew into the major stakes race it still is to this day.
Churchill Downs Today
Churchill Downs has undergone some extensive renovations over the years in an effort to modernize the venue. They’ve added luxury suites and a state-of-the-art high definition video board, to name some of the high profile changes.
Churchill Downs has also ventured into events other than horse racing. They attempted to stage music festivals at the track, but that particular venture has not been quite as successful.
The venue is still a race track first and foremost. The horse racing generally takes place in three meets. The spring meet starts one week before the Derby, which is held on the first Sunday of May, and continues until early July. A fall meet takes place in late October and closes in late November. A third meet in September was added in 2013.
Churcill Downs has also been a venue for the Breeders’ Cup. It’s hosted the prestigious races eight times, most recently in 2011. It is next slated to host in 2018.
Track Dimensions and Capacity
Churchill Downs covers 147 acres of land. The dirt oval main track is one mile in circumference, and 80 feet wide with a starting gate 120 feet wide. There’s also a turf track inside the main track, which is 7/8 of a mile in circumference and 80 feet wide.
Usually, around 50,000 people will be seated at the Kentucky Derby, but the venue can hold upwards of 150,000 people on Derby Day. The 2015 Kentucky Derby broke the all-time Derby attendance record with 170,513 fans, and they saw American Pharoah complete the first leg of his historic Triple Crown.
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