About Churchill Downs
Churchill Downs is located in Louisville, Kentucky. The 147-acre venue serves as home to the annual Kentucky Derby and hosts three thoroughbred horse racing events during spring, September and other fall months. The Kentucky Derby is held on the one-mile dirt oval track, which is featured alongside a seven-furlong turf course. Over 5,000 horses cycle through Churchill Downs on a yearly basis for the Kentucky Derby, Kentucky Oaks and other thoroughbred races.
The legendary track is known as much for its architecture and fashion as its events. The Twin Spires towering over the grandstand is perhaps Churchill Downs' most prominent aesthetic feature. Other than the grandstand, racegoers can sit in Millionaires Row, Sky Terrace, Turf Club or Clubhouse areas. The Kentucky Derby has become synonymous with 170,000-plus spectators arriving in lavish hats, dresses and suits, adding character to a spectacle that already has the longest-running history of any continual American sporting event in history.
Churchill Downs has welcomed the Breeders' Cup World Championship, a two-day, season-ending extravaganza involving horses, jockeys, trainers and owners worldwide, on eight separate occasions.
History of Churchill Downs
Churchill Downs was built upon 80 acres purchased by Colonel Meriwether Lewis Clark Jr. from his uncles, Henry and John Churchill, in 1872. The debut race was held May 17, 1875, and consisted of the Kentucky Derby, Kentucky Oaks and Clark Handicap. The inaugural Kentucky Derby was captured by Aristides, while Bonaventure won the first ever overall race held at the track.
Churchill Downs has always held a certain pedigree, although the track didn't turn its first profit until 1903. Eventually, in 1938, Matt Winn was named president and dedicated a committee to turn Churchill Downs into a nonprofit that donated $1.5 million over 10 years. Decades later, another substantial change took place as president Steve Sexton initiated a renovation process during the years 2002-03. In 2009, Kevin Flanery took over as president where he remained in the position until 2020. Michael W. Anderson was named the 14th president of Churchill Downs Racetrack on December 22, 2020.
