Churchill Downs

This article is about the actual racetrack. For the operating company, see Churchill Downs Incorporated. For the community in Alabama, see Churchill Downs, Alabama.
Churchill Downs

Churchill Downs Logo
Location Louisville, Kentucky, United States
Owned by Churchill Downs Inc.
Date opened 1875
Screened on NBC (Kentucky Derby)
Course type Flat
Notable races Kentucky Derby
Kentucky Oaks
Woodford Reserve Turf Classic
Stephen Foster Handicap
Clark Handicap
Official website

Churchill Downs, located on Central Avenue in south Louisville, Kentucky, United States, is a Thoroughbred racetrack most famous for hosting the Kentucky Derby annually. It officially opened in 1875, and held the first Kentucky Derby and the first Kentucky Oaks in the same year. Churchill Downs has also hosted the renowned Breeders' Cup on eight occasions, most recently in 2011. Churchill Downs Incorporated owns and operates the racetrack. The capacity of Churchill Downs is 120,000.

In 2009, the Horseplayers Association of North America introduced a rating system for 65 Thoroughbred racetracks in North America. Churchill Downs was ranked number 5 on this list.

In 2014, prior to the start of their spring meet, Churchill Downs announced an increase in parimutuel takeout rates. As a result of the takeout increase, Churchill Downs was ranked number 22 in the 2014 Horseplayers Association of North America Track Ratings. [1]

History

Thoroughbred racing at Churchill Downs

The track is named for John and Henry Churchill, who leased 80 acres (32 ha) 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.

Composite image of Churchill Downs on Derby Day, 1902

Churchill Downs filled a void in Louisville left by the closing of Oakland and Woodlawn, two earlier race courses. The then-rural location was along Louisville and Nashville Railroad tracks, allowing for easy transport of horses. Clark, who preferred longer races to the relatively short ones that had become popular by the 1890s, was running short of funds, and in 1893 sold the track to a syndicate led by William Applegate. The new ownership would soon institute many changes, such as shortening the length of the signature race to its modern 1 1⁄4 mile (2 km), commissioning the famous twin spire grandstand in 1895, and adorning the winner of the Derby with a garland of roses, a tradition that also began in 1895.

In early 1902, Applegate turned over operation of the track to Charles F. Grainger, then the mayor of Louisville, in an effort to move Churchill Downs away from being primarily known for gambling. The business had been floundering until this time when Col. Matt Winn of Louisville put together a syndicate of businessmen to acquire the facility. Under Winn, Churchill Downs prospered and the Kentucky Derby then became the preeminent stakes race for three-year-old thoroughbred horses in North America.

During that early period, a new clubhouse was built in order to promote social interaction, and new events such as steeplechases, automobile races, and band concerts were held at the track. The State Fair was held on the grounds, featuring the odd spectacle of two locomotives being intentionally crashed head-on in the infield.

Churchill Downs—with the University of Louisville Marching Band in the foreground—during the 2006 Kentucky Derby.

On June 5, 1907, African American jockey James Lee set a record that has never been beaten when he won the entire six-race card at Churchill Downs.

In 1908, parimutuel betting machines were introduced as gambling began to be less controversial again, and the wagering portion of the track's business became more profitable.

Churchill Downs was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1986.

On Friday, June 19, 2009, Churchill Downs hosted its first-ever night race with an attendance of over 27,000.

Churchill Downs ventured into the music business, organizing the inaugural HullabaLOU Music Festival, held on the weekend of July 23–25, 2010. The track had planned to make this an annual event to compete with other summer music festivals. However, due to what was perceived as lower than expected ticket sales and complaints from concert goers over seating and the brutal heat, the track decided that the festival would not return in 2011. Despite selling more than 78,000 tickets for the three-day event, it failed to turn a profit, losing over 5 million dollars for the now defunct Churchill Downs Entertainment group. Besides the heat and poor seating, many blamed the lineup of artists, calling them "washed up acts from the state fair circuit". While headliners Bon Jovi, Dave Matthews Band, and Kenny Chesney drew large crowds, other acts that filled slots during the day did not.

On Wednesday, June 22, 2011, an EF2 tornado hit the Louisville area, striking the stables and chapel at Churchill Downs, though only at EF1 intensity at the time.[2] Several stables were badly damaged, as was the chapel. Over 200 horses had to be evacuated from the damaged stables and be relocated to other stables that were not damaged by the tornado. The tornado did not cause any damage to the twin spires or the clubhouse.[3]

Facilities

Churchill Downs front entrance gate

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. Today, Churchill Downs covers 147 acres (0.59 km2). The usual number of people seated at the derby is 50,000 people, though crowds can reach over 150,000 on Derby day. The dirt oval main track, on which the Derby is run, is one mile (1.6 km) in circumference and is 79–80 feet (24.1–24.4 m) wide, with a 120-foot-wide (37 m) section for the starting gate. A turf track, inside the main track, is 7⁄8 mile (1.4 km) in circumference and 80-foot (24 m) wide.

From 2001 to 2005, Churchill Downs underwent a three-and-a-half year, $121 million renovation. The clubhouse was replaced, 79 luxury suites were added, and the historic twin spires were refurbished. One of the additions in the clubhouse was a 36-foot (11 m) mural by Pierre Bellocq depicting all 96 jockeys to win the Kentucky Derby from 1875 to 2004. In summer 2008 the same artist added another mural depicting all of the trainers and updating the Jockey's painting, adding Calvin Borel and Edgar Prado to it. These updates are done yearly to accommodate new winning trainers and jockeys. The new design has been somewhat controversial since the new suites block full view of the spires from most angles.[4]

Racing at Churchill Downs occurs in three meets though for the majority of its existence there were only two meets per year. The spring meet starts one week before the Derby and continues until early July. The Kentucky Derby is held the first Saturday in May and the Kentucky Oaks is run on Friday, the day before the Derby. A fall meet picks up in late October and closes Thanksgiving weekend in late November. A third meet in September was added in 2013.

In addition to the track, clubhouse and stables, Churchill Downs also contains the Kentucky Derby Museum which focuses on the history of the Kentucky Derby and Churchill Downs. The museum also contains a number of exhibits exploring the training and racing of thoroughbred horses. It includes a 360-degree cinema that shows the short film "The Greatest Race," a documentary about the Kentucky Derby. The museum is normally open year-round.

In October 2013, Churchill Downs announced that it would be installing a new, ultra high-definition video board built by Panasonic, to be operational in time for the 2014 Kentucky Derby. The video board will measure 171 feet wide and 90 feet high, with the bottom edge 80 feet off the ground, named "The Big Board". It will be constructed along the outside of the backstretch of the dirt course and will face the grandstand and infield. Churchill Downs officials said that it would be the world's largest ultra high-definition video board ever constructed.[5]

TV personalities

Track announcers

See also

Notes

  1. ↑ "HANA 2014 Track Ratings". Horseplayers Association of North America. Retrieved 22 May 2014.
  2. ↑ "June 22, 2011 Storm Damage Survey". NWS Louisville. Retrieved 26 June 2011.
  3. ↑ Lovan, Dylan. "Tornado strikes Kentucky Derby's historic home | Horse racing | Chron.com - Houston Chronicle". Wayback.archive.org. Archived from the original on June 24, 2011. Retrieved 2013-02-20.
  4. ↑ "Derby Has Become A Carnival Of The Bizarre". Billyreedsays.com. 2006-05-02. Archived from the original on May 8, 2009. Retrieved 2009-07-13.
  5. ↑ Asher, John (2013-10-07). "Churchill Downs Gets the Big Picture: Teams with Panasonic for $12 Million High Definition Video Board" (Press release). Churchill Downs Communications. Retrieved 2013-10-08.

References

External links

Coordinates: 38°12′10.6″N 85°46′12.1″W / 38.202944°N 85.770028°W / 38.202944; -85.770028

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