Aristides Stakes Aristides Stakes The Aristides Stakes is a Grade III American Thoroughbred horse race for three-year-olds and older over a distance of six furlongs on the dirt held annually in early June at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky. . The race currently offers a purse of $100,000. The Aristides Stakes is named in honor of the racehorse Aristides who won the inaugural Kentucky Derby in 1875 on the Churchill Downs track. The race itself was inaugurated in 1989 and run at a distance of furlongs. Bet on Sunshine, the only two-time winner in the race's history, set a new track record
Louisville Downs site for $6 million, using the grandstand for simulcast racing and racetrack for training thoroughbreds. The grandstand was razed in 2015 and in September 2018, Churchill Downs, Inc. used the site for Derby City Gaming, an historical race wagering facility. Harness racing may return to the former Louisville Downs site; in September 2018, Churchill Downs and Keeneland Association filed an application with the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission to hold 10 days of harness meets in 2019. Louisville Downs Louisville Downs was a half-mile Standardbred harness race track located in Louisville, Kentucky, United States. It opened in 1966 and held over