Northern Dancer Stakes Northern Dancer Stakes The Northern Dancer Stakes is an American Thoroughbred horse race held annually in mid-June at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky. Named in honor of the horse, Northern Dancer, the Grade III stakes for three-year-olds is run on dirt over a distance of 8.5 furlongs ( miles). The race currently offers a purse of $150,000. Canadian-bred and owned honoree Northern Dancer (1961–1990) won the 1964 Kentucky Derby in record time on the Churchill Downs track. He went on to win the Preakness Stakes and Queen's Plate. Retired from racing, Northern Dancer became the most important sire and sire
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