Churchill Downs Incorporated Rous and France's Vicomte Darn, vice president of the French Jockey Club. Upon his return from Europe, Clark began development of his racetrack, which would serve to showcase the Kentucky breeding industry. The track would eventually become known as Churchill Downs. The track formally opened on May 17, 1875, with four races scheduled including the day's featured race, the Kentucky Derby. Throughout the early 1900s, Churchill Downs joined with other tracks to create the Kentucky Jockey Club. With five tracks, the Club decided to dissolve in December 1927, with the purpose of re-organizing. In January 1928, the American Turf Association
Churchill (horse) Awards. In the official European Classification of two-year-olds for 2016 Churchill was given a rating of 122, making him the best juvenile of the season, one pound ahead of the filly Lady Aurelia and four pounds ahead of the colts Thunder Snow and National Defense. In the 2017 World's Best Racehorse Rankings, Churchill was rated the twelfth-best horse in the world and the joint-best horse in Ireland. Churchill (horse) Churchill (foaled 31 January 2014) is an Irish Thoroughbred racehorse. He was rated the best two-year-old colt in Europe in 2016, winning five of his six races including the Chesham Stakes,