Kentucky Derby 2013: How Churchill Downs Differs from Other Tracks

The 2013 Kentucky Derby is the biggest horse race of the year in the United States, but the festivities are just as much about the historic Churchill Downs as they are about the actual start to the Triple Crown hunt.

Churchill Downs is one of the most famous race tracks in the world, and the excitement that surrounds the Kentucky Derby every year brings the focus back to the beautiful facilities.

There are thousands of horse-racing tracks in the sport, but Churchill Downs is one of the oldest and most unique. This is what makes this venue so special.

The Track Itself

The track at Churchill Downs is one of the nicest in the sport—ranked fourth by the Horseplayers Association of North America—and is the pride of the Louisville community that surrounds it.

As great as the facilities are that house the onlookers, the racing surface is on the cutting edge in terms of material used (using a mixture of sandy loam and natural soil with a clay base) in order to make the races each year perfect.

The groundskeepers at Churchill Downs know the race should be about the horses, and with a dirt track as flawless as the one in Kentucky, the race surface becomes an afterthought for casual fans.

The real difference that makes Churchill Downs so great is the dedication from those that take care of the course. The grounds keeping crew take pride in the upkeep the marquee venue, and that’s blatantly clear when looking at the race surface on Derby Day.

The History

While the Kentucky Derby has become an American institution over the 50 years, the fact that Churchill Downs officially opened in 1875 with the inaugural Kentucky Derby and Kentucky Oaks shows just how much history resides at this track.

The venue was named a historical landmark in 1986 after over 100 years of racing, but the notoriety of the track has continued to grow exponentially every year as a new crop of casual horse-racing fans flock to the sport when the first leg of the Triple Crown kicks off.

Everyone tunes in for the fastest two minutes in sports.

If it’s historic times you’re looking for, Churchill Downs has a storied history at every distance, but the track record for the Kentucky Derby (a length of 1 1/4 miles) is still Secretariat’s dream run in 1973 with a time of 1:59.40.

Maybe this year a thoroughbred will make history and set a new record.

The Facilities

As great as the track is and as historic as Churchill Downs is known to be, the facilities that surround the track and house the spectators during the event are second to none in the sport of horse racing.

After a $121 million renovation project, there is no question that the way Churchill Downs is set up now makes it the most luxurious track in the United States and one of the best in the world.

The extensive upgrades—including luxury suites, outdoor third-floor boxes, indoor box seats and so much more—bumped the number of permanent seats to approximately 52,000, making it one of the biggest sport attractions of each year.

Add in the allure of the historic Twin Spires on top of the grandstands, and the surrounding buildings and enclosures at Churchill Downs make the venue a bucket-list staple for most sports fans.

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