Stephen Foster Handicap Stephen Foster Handicap The Stephen Foster Handicap is an American Thoroughbred horse race run in mid-June near the end of the Churchill Downs Spring Meet in Louisville, Kentucky. The race is named in honor of famed composer Stephen Foster, who wrote numerous melodies including "My Old Kentucky Home" which is the song that is annually played as the Kentucky Derby field parades on the track. It is run on the dirt at a distance of miles for three-year-olds and up. The Stephen Foster Handicap was created in 1982 and progressed from Grade III status in 1988 to Grade II in
Churchill Downs Incorporated served as the new holding company for Churchill Downs and six other tracks. From 1929 through 1942, the holding company started to reduce the number of tracks. By 1937, there were only three tracks left. In January 1937, Churchill Downs joined with Latonia in Northern Kentucky to create Churchill Downs-Latonia Incorporated. In 1942, Churchill Downs separated from Latonia and officially changed its name to Churchill Downs Incorporated. After simulcasting became commonplace in the early 1990s, the racetrack decided to expand its holdings and move into the simulcasting industry. In 1991, Churchill Downs bought the struggling Louisville Downs harness track, which