Who is the founder of Churchill Downs?

Question

Who is the founder of Churchill Downs?

Answer 1

John and Henry Churchill are not the founders of Churchill Downs. It was partially named after them. If you go further into the history of Churchill Downs you will find:

-In 1873, Col. M. Lewis Clark wanted a world-class racetrack in Kentucky, so he leased 80 acres from his uncles JOHN and HENRY Churchill

-The orginal track opened in 1875 and ran its first Kentucky Derby in Louisville

(Col. M. Lewis Clark founded the racetrack and it was his dream to build one, he just named it "Churchill" Downs after his uncles, because the gave him the land to build it)

Answer 2

The track is named for John and Henry Churchill, who leased 80 acres 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.

Downs filled a void in Louisville left by the closing of Oakland and Woodlawn, two earlier race courses.

Answer 3

Here's Churchill Downs web site below.

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