Churchill Downs to help him run the rack was Col. Matt Winn of Louisville. Churchill Downs prospered and the Kentucky Derby then became the preeminent stakes race for three-year-old thoroughbred horses in North America. During that early period, a new clubhouse was built in order to promote social interaction, and new events such as steeplechases, automobile races, and band concerts were held at the track. The State Fair was held on the grounds, featuring the odd spectacle of two locomotives being intentionally crashed head-on in the infield. On June 5, 1907, African American jockey James Lee set a record that has never
Bandera Downs the property without a bond issue. The track was sold again in 2004 for $1.2 million to a firm with plans to open a training center. The track remains intact, but is offered for sale. Bandera Downs Bandera Downs was an American horse-racing track located in Bandera, Bandera County, Texas. A thousand people were on hand for the first race at the new track known as Lost Valley Downs in July 1965 running American Quarter Horse and Thoroughbred events until closing after the 1967 season. The track was sold in 1984 and reopened as Bandera Downs by the new owners.