Churchill Downs has hosted the Kentucky Derby every year since it opened in 1875. It is named for the Churchill family, who leased 80 acres to their nephew, Colonel Meriwether Lewis Clark Jr., a grandson of the explorer William Clark. He wanted a fancy track like Epsom Downs in England.
In 1894 a new group bought the track. It commissioned the twin spire grandstand in 1895, cut the Derby down to its modern length of 1 and a quarter miles in 1896, and began giving the winner a garland of roses that same year. The twin spires, designed by D.X. Murphy & Bro., are now the symbol of the track.
Churchill Downs was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1986. With the infield open on Derby day, it can hold roughly 170,000 people.