Churchill Downs, located on Central Avenue in south Louisville, Kentucky, is most famous for hosting the Kentucky Derby.
The Kentucky Derby is the preeminent stakes race for three-year-old Thoroughbred horses in North America.
The fastest time ever run in the Derby was set in 1973 at 1:59.4 minutes, when Secretariat broke the record set by Northern Dancer in 1964.
Each year, almost 120,000 Mint Juleps are served over the two-day period of Kentucky Oaks and Kentucky Derby weekend at Churchill Downs, requiring more than 10,000 bottles of Old Forester Mint Julep Ready-to-Serve Cocktail, 60,000 pounds of crushed ice, and nearly 4,000 pounds of freshly harvested mint.
Lewis Clark Jr.--grandson of William Clark, half of the famous exploring duo Lewis and Clark--decided to found the Kentucky Derby after watching England's Epsom Derby.
The race is often called "The Run for the Roses" because of the blanket of roses draped over the winner. It is also known in the United States as "The Fastest Two Minutes in Sports" in reference to its approximate duration.
On May 4, 2019, longshot Country House crossed the finish line second but was declared the winner after second-favorite Maximum Security was disqualified for interference.
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