Churchill Downs one week before the Derby and continues until early July. The Kentucky Derby is held the first Saturday in May and the Kentucky Oaks is run on the Friday before the Derby. A fall meet picks up in late October and closes Thanksgiving weekend in late November. A third meet in September was added in 2013. In addition to the track, clubhouse and stables, Churchill Downs also contains the Kentucky Derby Museum which focuses on the history of the Kentucky Derby and Churchill Downs. The museum also contains a number of exhibits exploring the training and racing of thoroughbred horses.
Churchill Distaff Turf Mile Stakes Churchill Distaff Turf Mile Stakes Churchill Distaff Turf Mile Stakes is an American Thoroughbred horse race run annually in early May at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky. A Grade II event, it is open to fillies and mares, aged three and older. Contested over a distance of one mile (8 furlongs) on turf, it currently offers a purse of $300,000. In 2009, this race was upgraded from a Grade III to a Grade II event. This race was inaugurated as the Twin Spires Stakes in 1983, and was run again in 1987 under that name. It was renamed Capital Holding