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
Eureka Downs adjacent to the track to extend the track and build a 440-yard straightaway section to run American Quarter Horse races. The track also held Greyhound racing events on certain race days. The original grandstand burned in 1964 and was replaced. The Downs was funded by entry fees, concessions, stable fees, and spectator tickets, and much of the labor at the track was provided by volunteers. At the track's peak in the 1970s, purse distribution was over $150,000 for the Futurity race date. Over time, however, interest in the sport declined and the track struggled to remain profitable. In 1986, Kansas