Middle School
Worksheets
The Most Exciting Two Minutes in Sports: The Kentucky Derby
Picture provided courtesy: kentuckytourism.com
Each year on the first Saturday in May, the first of three important horse races is held at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky. This race is the final event in the two-week long Kentucky Derby Festival. It is also called "The Run for the Roses" because a lush blanket of 554 fresh red roses is awarded the winner.
In 1872, Meriwether Lewis Clark, Jr., grandson of William Clark of the Lewis and Clark Expedition, organized the Louisville Jockey Club to build a quality racetrack in his hometown. The track soon became known as Churchill Downs. It was named after John and Henry Churchill who were relatives of Clark. They donated the land for the track.
