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
Thoroughbred Stakes Thoroughbred Stakes The Thoroughbred Stakes is a Group 3 flat horse race in Great Britain open to three-year-old horses. It is run at Goodwood over a distance of 1 mile (1,609 metres), and it is scheduled to take place each year in late July or early August. The event was formerly ungraded, and it used to be called the Surplice Stakes. It was sponsored by Vodafone from 1993, and for several years it was known by a sponsored title. It was given Listed status and renamed the Thoroughbred Stakes in 1998. The race was backed by Blue Square from 2007