Northern Dancer Stakes of sires in the second half of the 20th century. Northern Dancer Stakes The Northern Dancer Stakes is an American Thoroughbred horse race held annually in mid-June at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky. Named in honor of the horse, Northern Dancer, the Grade III stakes for three-year-olds is run on dirt over a distance of 8.5 furlongs ( miles). The race currently offers a purse of $150,000. Canadian-bred and owned honoree Northern Dancer (1961–1990) won the 1964 Kentucky Derby in record time on the Churchill Downs track. He went on to win the Preakness Stakes and Queen's Plate. Retired from
Churchill Downs Incorporated 25 percent interest in Saratoga, and signed on to manage Saratoga Casino and Raceway, Saratoga Casino Black Hawk, and the proposed Capital View Casino & Resort. The casino proposal was rejected, however, in favor of Rivers Casino. In December 2014, the company acquired Big Fish Games, a developer of casual games, in a deal valued at up to $885 million. It then sold Big Fish Games in 2018 to Aristocrat Leisure for $990 million. The company partnered with Saratoga to purchase Ocean Downs, a harness racing track and casino in Maryland, in January 2017. Churchill Downs took full ownership of