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.
Lafayette Stakes Churchill Downs in 1943 and 1944. There was no race run in 1945. Two horses set new Keeneland course records in winning this race: Mals Boy in 1950 and Loom in 1964. Speed record: (at current distance of 7 furlongs) Lafayette Stakes The Lafayette Stakes is an American Thoroughbred horse race run annually at Keeneland Race Course in Lexington, Kentucky. Open to three-year-old horses, it is contested on Polytrack synthetic dirt over a distance of seven furlongs. A Listed race from 1983 through 1989, it was elevated to a Grade III event in 1990 then modified to a non-graded status