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Report an IssueChurchill Downs
1885
Ky. Derby Museum, 704 Central Ave., Louisville
Organized in 1874 as Louisville Jockey Club by sportsman Col. M. Louis Clark. Track built on land leased from Clark's uncles, John and Henry Churchill. Twin-spired grandstand, a National Historic Landmark, first used in 1895. Col. Matt Winn (1861-1949) assumed management in 1902, saving track from bankruptcy. Under his leadership, Churchill Downs known worldwide as Ky. Derby site.
Kentucky Derby - Referred to as the "Run for the Roses," the first Kentucky Derby was run on this track, May 17, 1875. Black jockey Oliver Lewis rode H. P. McGrath's Aristides to victory. The 11/4 mile race for three-year-old Thoroughbreds is the oldest continuously run stakes race in America, "greatest two minutes in sports," and the first jewel in racing's Triple Crown.