Churchill Downs and 7 other racetracks
Churchill Downs is the only remaining horse racing track in the city, but it wasn’t the first. There were 7 other tracks of some note. The information below was from multiple sources. Also see here.
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Elm Tree Garden Racetrack. 1829 - 1873, Shippingport Island
Shippingport was originally part of the mainland. The digging of the Louisville and Portland Canal in 1825 made the peninsula an island.
Considered to be Louisville’s first amusement park, Elm Tree Garden was founded upon Shippingport Island and opened to the public on June 6, 1829. The Garden was created by Joseph L. Detiste, a French native, and featured mazes, puzzle gardens, a long rope walk, the Napoleon Distillery and a racetrack. The Garden centered around a giant elm tree with a large wooden platform, more than 300 feet in circumference. A six-story flour mill built in 1817 became a symbol of Shippingport's success.
During this time, the Falls of the Ohio was primarily occupied by French settlers, whose fur-trading businesses carried them upriver from New Orleans. This was also the age when horse racing in Louisville was at its peak and competitions frequently took place on downtown streets. In an attempt to draw pedestrian traffic away from busy thoroughfares, the Elm Tree Garden advertised its own horse races and even provided a gondola service to ferry people across the Ohio River.
The Garden never fully recovered from the economic losses following the flood of 1832. After years of financial struggle, the amusement park was permanently closed in 1873.
See for Shippingport Island >>> - http://historiclouisville.weebly.com/shippingport-island.html
Considered to be Louisville’s first amusement park, Elm Tree Garden was founded upon Shippingport Island and opened to the public on June 6, 1829. The Garden was created by Joseph L. Detiste, a French native, and featured mazes, puzzle gardens, a long rope walk, the Napoleon Distillery and a racetrack. The Garden centered around a giant elm tree with a large wooden platform, more than 300 feet in circumference. A six-story flour mill built in 1817 became a symbol of Shippingport's success.
During this time, the Falls of the Ohio was primarily occupied by French settlers, whose fur-trading businesses carried them upriver from New Orleans. This was also the age when horse racing in Louisville was at its peak and competitions frequently took place on downtown streets. In an attempt to draw pedestrian traffic away from busy thoroughfares, the Elm Tree Garden advertised its own horse races and even provided a gondola service to ferry people across the Ohio River.
The Garden never fully recovered from the economic losses following the flood of 1832. After years of financial struggle, the amusement park was permanently closed in 1873.
See for Shippingport Island >>> - http://historiclouisville.weebly.com/shippingport-island.html
Oakland Race Course. 1833 - 1850s, 7th and Magnolia area
Oakland Race Course was established in 1832 on a fifty-five acre plot on the west and south sides of present day 7th Street and Magnolia Avenue. The course was developed through a sponsorship from the Louisville Association for the Improvement of Breed of Horses, for which Samuel Churchill served as the president.
According to The Encyclopedia of Louisville, edited by John E. Kleber, Oakland premiered to the public in the fall of 1833 and included a three-story clubhouse and enough stables to house 120 horses. Six years later, promoter Yelverton C. Oliver organized a $14,000 match race between thoroughbreds Grey Eagle and Louisiana’s Wagner in what became known as “the greatest race west of the Alleghenies.”
It was hoped that the event would help pull Oakland out of financial hardship. But after years of struggle, the facility eventually closed, with its last race held in the mid 1850s. Perhaps one of the best-preserved artifacts from the course is an 1840 painting titled “Oakland House and Race Course” by Augustus A. Von Smith and Robert Brammer which reveals a wooded fairground bordered by a white picket fence.
According to The Encyclopedia of Louisville, edited by John E. Kleber, Oakland premiered to the public in the fall of 1833 and included a three-story clubhouse and enough stables to house 120 horses. Six years later, promoter Yelverton C. Oliver organized a $14,000 match race between thoroughbreds Grey Eagle and Louisiana’s Wagner in what became known as “the greatest race west of the Alleghenies.”
It was hoped that the event would help pull Oakland out of financial hardship. But after years of struggle, the facility eventually closed, with its last race held in the mid 1850s. Perhaps one of the best-preserved artifacts from the course is an 1840 painting titled “Oakland House and Race Course” by Augustus A. Von Smith and Robert Brammer which reveals a wooded fairground bordered by a white picket fence.
Woodlawn Race Course, 1859 - 1870. Westport Road, just west of the Watterson
The story of Woodlawn Race Course began in 1858, when a wealthy horse breeder named Robert Aitcheson Alexander purchased a tract of land on the eastern border of Jefferson County, in what is now the Woodlawn Park neighborhood off Westport Road just west of the Watterson Expressway. Organized competitive horse racing in Kentucky was relatively young when Woodlawn Race Course opened. The previous year, the Woodlawn Association, a stock subscription company, was formed and raised $50,000 for the venture. The track was built near the Louisville and Frankfort Railroad to accommodate easy access for guests.
The racetrack proved to be a success when it opened to the public in 1859, attracting large crowds. Most of the accounts regarding the park’s design and layout come from the Louisville Daily Courier, a defunct newspaper that ran throughout the 1850s and ‘60s. Some sources say the interior of the clubhouse was elaborately decorated with intricate crown moldings and mantelpieces. Others claim the building had a tin roof equipped with an overhead hatch.
During the park’s heyday, Alexander had commissioned Tiffany & Company to design a special vase as a trophy for the winners. What resulted was the Woodlawn Vase, which now serves as the model for half-size replicas given to the annual winner of the Preakness Stakes in Pimlico, Maryland.
Woodlawn earned the reputation of being the “Saratoga of the West”—a reference to a race course in Saratoga Springs, New York, that was popular throughout the 1860s. However, like many racetracks at that time, Woodlawn couldn’t sustain its debts and was forced to close in 1870.
The racetrack proved to be a success when it opened to the public in 1859, attracting large crowds. Most of the accounts regarding the park’s design and layout come from the Louisville Daily Courier, a defunct newspaper that ran throughout the 1850s and ‘60s. Some sources say the interior of the clubhouse was elaborately decorated with intricate crown moldings and mantelpieces. Others claim the building had a tin roof equipped with an overhead hatch.
During the park’s heyday, Alexander had commissioned Tiffany & Company to design a special vase as a trophy for the winners. What resulted was the Woodlawn Vase, which now serves as the model for half-size replicas given to the annual winner of the Preakness Stakes in Pimlico, Maryland.
Woodlawn earned the reputation of being the “Saratoga of the West”—a reference to a race course in Saratoga Springs, New York, that was popular throughout the 1860s. However, like many racetracks at that time, Woodlawn couldn’t sustain its debts and was forced to close in 1870.
Woodlawn Vase
The track went bankrupt, but its trophy lives on. It survived centuries, including the Civil War, during which it was secretly buried for protection. Later, it was dug up and eventually made its way to Churchill Downs. It stands 36 inches tall and weighs 400 ounces of solid sterling silver (approx. 30 pounds).
The trophy left Louisville in 1878 after a horse from New York won a Churchill Downs race called the Great American Stallion Stakes. The horse's owners took the vase to the East Coast. It was used for several races in New York until it was awarded to the Maryland Jockey Club in 1917. The Maryland Jockey Club manages the Pimlico Racetrack where the Preakness is run. It was awarded on a yearly basis. The winning owner would get to keep the trophy for a year and then bring it back for the next winning owner.
Now, replicas of the vase are given to the Preakness winners and the original is on display at the Baltimore Museum of Art. The appraised value is now reported to exceed 4 million dollars in replacement value. A replica of the trophy is also on display at the Kentucky Derby Museum.
The trophy left Louisville in 1878 after a horse from New York won a Churchill Downs race called the Great American Stallion Stakes. The horse's owners took the vase to the East Coast. It was used for several races in New York until it was awarded to the Maryland Jockey Club in 1917. The Maryland Jockey Club manages the Pimlico Racetrack where the Preakness is run. It was awarded on a yearly basis. The winning owner would get to keep the trophy for a year and then bring it back for the next winning owner.
Now, replicas of the vase are given to the Preakness winners and the original is on display at the Baltimore Museum of Art. The appraised value is now reported to exceed 4 million dollars in replacement value. A replica of the trophy is also on display at the Kentucky Derby Museum.
Greenland Race Course, 1866 - 1888. The area became Wilder Park in South Louisville.
Wilder Park is a neighborhood four miles south of downtown Louisville. The area was originally the site of Greenland race course, built in 1866. The Greenland track closed in 1888 and the area became Wilder Park. The clubhouse became the park pavilion. The first houses in Wilder Park were built in 1891.
(Below is all I could find about Greenland Race Course. The OCR from the Courier Journal was garbled in places and this is my best interpretation.)
The Courier-Journal, November 6, 1866.
GREENLAND ASSOCIATION. The First Running Meeting over the Greenland Association Course will continue this Tuesday, Nov. 6, 1860.
The Courier-Journal, November 10, 1866
GREENLAND RACE TRACK. For benefit of those wishing to attend the races at the Greenland Race Track, a train will leave the Depot of the Louisville and Nashville RR. at (OCR is garbled) and 3:00 o'clock, daily during the races: returning, leave Race Track immediately after the last race.
The Courier-Journal, November 2, 1867.
GREENLAND RACE COURSE. FALL TROTTING MEETING FORTH DAY. The fourth day of the races was another splendid fall day, unexceptionable if there had been less wind. The attendance was fair and the sport was excellent . . . (long description of the races). The program for tomorrow is one of the best yet offered on the Greenland Course, and will no doubt call out a correspondingly large attendance.
(Below is all I could find about Greenland Race Course. The OCR from the Courier Journal was garbled in places and this is my best interpretation.)
The Courier-Journal, November 6, 1866.
GREENLAND ASSOCIATION. The First Running Meeting over the Greenland Association Course will continue this Tuesday, Nov. 6, 1860.
The Courier-Journal, November 10, 1866
GREENLAND RACE TRACK. For benefit of those wishing to attend the races at the Greenland Race Track, a train will leave the Depot of the Louisville and Nashville RR. at (OCR is garbled) and 3:00 o'clock, daily during the races: returning, leave Race Track immediately after the last race.
The Courier-Journal, November 2, 1867.
GREENLAND RACE COURSE. FALL TROTTING MEETING FORTH DAY. The fourth day of the races was another splendid fall day, unexceptionable if there had been less wind. The attendance was fair and the sport was excellent . . . (long description of the races). The program for tomorrow is one of the best yet offered on the Greenland Course, and will no doubt call out a correspondingly large attendance.
Douglas Park, 1895 - 1918. Kenwood Way & Southside Drive
The original Douglas Park occupied 122 acres and featured stables, a clubhouse, a grandstand not unlike Churchill Downs, and a one mile track. Colonel James J. Douglas founded his namesake track in 1895, the same year the park opened to the public. Initially, Douglas Park was to be used exclusively for trotting and pacing races, but after a seven year hiatus, the venue switched to Thoroughbred racing when it reopened in 1912. The track directly competed with Churchill Downs and drew national praise, from 1912-18, as home of the renowned Kentucky Handicap.
In 1918, Churchill Downs purchased Douglas Park and immediately halted all races at the track. Nearly 20 years later, the Douglas Park grandstand and clubhouse were demolished. Successive fires throughout the 1940s and ‘50s destroyed numerous barns and stables. On New Year's Eve of 1944, a large blaze destroyed a barn, killing a seventy-seven-year old track attendant and nine race horses. Portions of the property were sold off to recoup the losses.
The Archdiocese of Louisville purchased 21 acres of the Douglas Park property in 1950. St. John Vianney Parish was built on the site. A latter plot would be the future site of Holy Rosary Academy.
Churchill Downs overhauled and improved the facility in 1950 in an effort to build a "number one training center." A major fire occurred on October 26 of 1952 in which a large barn, reportedly one of the largest horse barns in the world, was destroyed. Sixty-eight thoroughbreds valued at an estimated $250,000.00 were killed. After selling off the remaining horses and stables, Churchill Downs ended all equine activity at Douglas Park in 1958. By the spring of 1958, the remaining 78 acres of Douglas Park were cleared of the last ten barns and the land was leveled and sowed with grass.
In 1918, Churchill Downs purchased Douglas Park and immediately halted all races at the track. Nearly 20 years later, the Douglas Park grandstand and clubhouse were demolished. Successive fires throughout the 1940s and ‘50s destroyed numerous barns and stables. On New Year's Eve of 1944, a large blaze destroyed a barn, killing a seventy-seven-year old track attendant and nine race horses. Portions of the property were sold off to recoup the losses.
The Archdiocese of Louisville purchased 21 acres of the Douglas Park property in 1950. St. John Vianney Parish was built on the site. A latter plot would be the future site of Holy Rosary Academy.
Churchill Downs overhauled and improved the facility in 1950 in an effort to build a "number one training center." A major fire occurred on October 26 of 1952 in which a large barn, reportedly one of the largest horse barns in the world, was destroyed. Sixty-eight thoroughbreds valued at an estimated $250,000.00 were killed. After selling off the remaining horses and stables, Churchill Downs ended all equine activity at Douglas Park in 1958. By the spring of 1958, the remaining 78 acres of Douglas Park were cleared of the last ten barns and the land was leveled and sowed with grass.
Miles Park, 1956 - 1978. End of Cecil Ave at the old State Fairgrounds property
Located on the southern end of Cecil Avenue in the Parkland neighborhood, the track opened as a full-time racing venue in June 1956 as Fairgrounds Speedway. The track and original grandstands date further back as part of the old Kentucky State Fairgrounds facility.
The venue was initially used for harness racing, but after two years, the park was sold to General J. Fred Miles, who turned it into a Thoroughbred track and renamed it Miles Park. During its best days Miles Park was awarded racing dates after Churchill Down's spring meet. The track was known for running the Junior Derby. The track struggled after a fire in May 1964 killed 26 thoroughbreds and burned down 13 barns.
In 1974 the track changed hands and was renamed Commonwealth Race Course. Commonwealth only lasted one meet. In 1975 the Kentucky Racing Commission denied race dates. Legal battles begin but Commonwealth never got back on track.
Things eventually picked up in 1977 when, once again, new owners purchased the park and experimented with quarter horse racing. But success didn’t last long. In June 1978, a fire destroyed the grandstand, forcing the park to permanently shut down.
In 2012 the property became an industrial site.
The venue was initially used for harness racing, but after two years, the park was sold to General J. Fred Miles, who turned it into a Thoroughbred track and renamed it Miles Park. During its best days Miles Park was awarded racing dates after Churchill Down's spring meet. The track was known for running the Junior Derby. The track struggled after a fire in May 1964 killed 26 thoroughbreds and burned down 13 barns.
In 1974 the track changed hands and was renamed Commonwealth Race Course. Commonwealth only lasted one meet. In 1975 the Kentucky Racing Commission denied race dates. Legal battles begin but Commonwealth never got back on track.
Things eventually picked up in 1977 when, once again, new owners purchased the park and experimented with quarter horse racing. But success didn’t last long. In June 1978, a fire destroyed the grandstand, forcing the park to permanently shut down.
In 2012 the property became an industrial site.
Louisville Downs, 1966 - 1991. Poplar Level Road just south of the Watterson Expressway
Louisville Downs was opened in 1966 by William King, who had few peers as a promoter. William King’s half-mile harness track was an inviting place to spend a warm summer night with some decent harness racing and a clean physical environment.
With its red-and-white peppermint striped roof visible from the Watterson Expressway, the standardbred park occupied an 87-acre parcel on Poplar Level Road. Louisville Downs boasted a glass-enclosed grandstand and an infield lake. It was the home of the Kentucky Pacing Derby, a major event on the harness racing circuit.
Although Louisville Downs was built as a harness racing track, it has gone through many incarnations over the years – first as the harness track, then as a simulcast site known as the Sports Spectrum, and then as Trackside, a Thoroughbred training center. Louisville Downs was always a stepsister to the runners at Churchill Downs, only five miles away.
Churchill Downs purchased the site for $6 million in September 1991 and transformed the track into a Thoroughbred training arena known as Trackside. The deal officially brought an end to harness racing in Louisville. Churchill last used the Spectrum for wagering during the 2012 Kentucky Derby.
In 2015, the decision was made to demolish the grandstand. However, the original stables and track were still used by Churchill Downs as a training facility.
Facebook page > https://www.facebook.com/groups/50740435674/
With its red-and-white peppermint striped roof visible from the Watterson Expressway, the standardbred park occupied an 87-acre parcel on Poplar Level Road. Louisville Downs boasted a glass-enclosed grandstand and an infield lake. It was the home of the Kentucky Pacing Derby, a major event on the harness racing circuit.
Although Louisville Downs was built as a harness racing track, it has gone through many incarnations over the years – first as the harness track, then as a simulcast site known as the Sports Spectrum, and then as Trackside, a Thoroughbred training center. Louisville Downs was always a stepsister to the runners at Churchill Downs, only five miles away.
Churchill Downs purchased the site for $6 million in September 1991 and transformed the track into a Thoroughbred training arena known as Trackside. The deal officially brought an end to harness racing in Louisville. Churchill last used the Spectrum for wagering during the 2012 Kentucky Derby.
In 2015, the decision was made to demolish the grandstand. However, the original stables and track were still used by Churchill Downs as a training facility.
Facebook page > https://www.facebook.com/groups/50740435674/
Churchill Downs, 1875 - Present. 4th and Central
The foundation for Churchill Downs was laid when the articles of incorporation of the Louisville Jockey Club and Drivlng Park Association were recorded by the clerk of the County Court of Jefferson County on the 20th day of June, 1874. They entered the undertaking of establishing a permanent race course in Louisville with a set determination that it would not end in bankruptcy as had the two previous tracks, Oakland and Woodlawn.
M. Lewis Clark, Jr., in behalf of the Jockey Club, leased some land adjoining the southern limits of the city from his two uncles, John and Henry Churchill, and work began on the construction of the new race course. The course was completed the following spring.
The Kentucky Derby first ran on Monday, May 17, 1875. For more than a decade the track was referred to merely as the "Louisville Jockey Club Course". In 1886, a writer for The Spirit of the Times (New York) called it Churchill Downs. The name became immediately popular, and it was Churchill Downs thereafter. "Churchill", no doubt, came from the family who owned the ground and "Downs" from Epsom Downs in England.
M. Lewis Clark, Jr., in behalf of the Jockey Club, leased some land adjoining the southern limits of the city from his two uncles, John and Henry Churchill, and work began on the construction of the new race course. The course was completed the following spring.
The Kentucky Derby first ran on Monday, May 17, 1875. For more than a decade the track was referred to merely as the "Louisville Jockey Club Course". In 1886, a writer for The Spirit of the Times (New York) called it Churchill Downs. The name became immediately popular, and it was Churchill Downs thereafter. "Churchill", no doubt, came from the family who owned the ground and "Downs" from Epsom Downs in England.