Another Stop in Louisville. . . Churchill Downs

It is spring time, and in Kentucky that means it is horse-racing season. My girls have recently watched the movie, SECRETARIAT. So, on our trip to Kentucky, we have decided to take them to Churchill Downs.

Churchill Downs was opened in 1874 in Lousville, Kentucky by Colonel Colonel Meriwether Lewis Clark, Jr., a grandson of explorer William Clark. The track was named after his uncles, John and Henry Churchill, who leased the 80 acre piece of land that the track was built upon. In 1893, Clark sold the track to a syndicate led by William Appelgate. Under the leadership of this syndicate, the famous twin-spired grandstand was built in 1895.

The first Kentucky Derby was held at Churchill Downs in 1875. The winner of that first Derby was Aristides, a three year old colt. And, 2012 will mark one hundred and thirty years of the Kentucky Derby.