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Downs Race Track
The Kentucky Derby is held at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky. The track opened in 1875, the first year the Derby was held.
Churchill Downs is also famous for hosting the Kentucky Oaks. It is a Grade 1 stakes race for three year-old Thoroughbred fillies. Rachel Alexandra won in 2009 and it was by a record 20 ¼-lengths. She later won the Preakness.
This year’s Kentucky Derby will be held on May 1st, 2010. It is the 136th running of the event.
The distance of the track is 1 ¼-miles or 10 furlongs. That’s 1/16 of a mile longer than the Preakness and a ¼-mile shorter than the taxing Belmont Stakes.
The attendance at the Kentucky Derby in 2009 was 153,563. It was the seventh largest in history, but down 2.7% from 2008 when Big Brown was attracting all sorts of national and world attention.
Churchill Downs covers approximately 147 acres of land, making it a tourist attraction of its own. The seating capacity is only 51,000, but it’s able to accommodate the large numbers above by providing standing room only admission.
The Derby track remains dirt, despite many tracks making the switch over to synthetic surfaces. That includes Arlington Park outside of Chicago, which is owned by Churchill Downs.
The Kentucky Derby is held at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky. The track opened in 1875, the first year the Derby was held.
Churchill Downs is also famous for hosting the Kentucky Oaks. It is a Grade 1 stakes race for three year-old Thoroughbred fillies. Rachel Alexandra won in 2009 and it was by a record 20 ¼-lengths. She later won the Preakness.
This year’s Kentucky Derby will be held on May 1st, 2010. It is the 136th running of the event.
The distance of the track is 1 ¼-miles or 10 furlongs. That’s 1/16 of a mile longer than the Preakness and a ¼-mile shorter than the taxing Belmont Stakes.
The attendance at the Kentucky Derby in 2009 was 153,563. It was the seventh largest in history, but down 2.7% from 2008 when Big Brown was attracting all sorts of national and world attention.
Churchill Downs covers approximately 147 acres of land, making it a tourist attraction of its own. The seating capacity is only 51,000, but it’s able to accommodate the large numbers above by providing standing room only admission.
The Derby track remains dirt, despite many tracks making the switch over to synthetic surfaces. That includes Arlington Park outside of Chicago, which is owned by Churchill Downs.
