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
Regret Stakes Regret Stakes The Regret Stakes is a Thoroughbred horse race for three-year-old fillies run on the turf at Churchill Downs in mid-June near the end of the Spring Meet in Louisville, Kentucky. Set at one and one-eighth miles (9 furlongs), the Grade III Regret currently offers a purse of $100,000. The Regret Stakes is the second leg of the Mid Atlantic Thoroughbred Championships Fillies and Mare Sprint Dirt Division or MATCh Races. MATCh is a series of five races in five separate thoroughbred divisions run throughout four Mid-Atlantic States including; Pimlico Race Course and Laurel Park Racecourse in Maryland; Delaware