Churchill Downs

Churchill Downs. . , Churchill Downs Racetrack and the Kentucky Derby owe their existence to a European excursion by the grandson of one of America's most famous explorers., In 1872, Colonel Meriwether Lewis Clark Jr., whose grandfather was William Clark of the Lewis and Clark expedition, ventured to England, where he attended the Epsom Derby and then to France, home of the Grand Prix de Paris. Inspired, Clark returned home to Kentucky and set about establishing a premier horse race in the United States. , Kentucky had rich racing history dating back to the first official Thoroughbred race in Lexington in 1828. Clark chose Louisville as the destination for his vision and hired prominent architect John Andrewartha to design unique and beautiful structures for the racetrack, later named Churchill Downs after Jon and Henry Churchill, Clark's uncles from whom he leased the 60-acre site. Later in 1895, 24-year-old draftsman Joseph Dominic Baldez designed The iconic Twin Spires., The inaugural Kentucky Derty was run in 1875 at a length of 1½ miles, the same distance as the Epsom Derby, before shortening to its current 1¼ miles in 1896. A crowd estimated at 10,000 was on hand for that first race. The Kentucky Derby is America's longest continually held sporting event, drawing upwards of 150.000 spectators, is one of the most watched sports broadcasts on TV each year and ranks as among the most prestigious horse races in the world.