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
Delta Jackpot Stakes Delta Jackpot Stakes The Delta Jackpot Stakes is an American Thoroughbred horse race run annually at Delta Downs in Vinton, Louisiana. A Grade III stakes open to two-year-old horses, it is raced in November over a distance of miles (8.5 Furlongs) on dirt. The inaugural running of the Delta Jackpot took place in 2002. Run over a distance of one mile (1.6 km), it carried a purse of $500,000. For the following year, the race was lengthened to its present miles and the purse was increased to $1 million to make it the second-richest race for two-year-olds in North America