Churchill Downs as the home to the Kentucky Derby in May. The Founding of Churchill Downs began in 1872, when Colonel Meriwether Lewis Clark traveled to England and France in 1872. Clark attended the Epsom Derby in England, which sparked his ambition to create a spectacle horse racing event in America. Upon his return to the states, Clark began the development of the racetrack, with intentions to showcase the Kentucky breeding industry that eventually became known as Churchill Downs and its first official race day was on May 17, 1875.
Wearing hats to the Kentucky Derby is a tradition that dates back to when the Kentucky Derby first started. The hat-wearing tradition was started by Col. Meriwether Lewis Clark who modeled the race after high-class European racing events and it's also a combination of Southern culture and British culture.
Churchill Downs in known as the home of the Kentucky Derby but the racetrack conducts thoroughbred horse racing and events in the Spring, September, and the Fall.
The Churchill Downs museum has the history and culture of the derby. There are exhibits of trophies, artifacts from some of the Kentucky Derby’s greatest winners and a movie about the Kentucky Derby called ‘The Greatest Race.’
