We know from history that Col. Meriwether Lewis Clark, Jr. is the creator of the Kentucky Derby and his idea began with him attending the Epsom Derby in England when he was visiting there. But before he returned from England, he also played a part in the creation of the Grand Prix de Paris, which became the French version of the Epsom Derby.
Once back in the states, he headed out to establish thoroughbred racing locally. The Churchill’s, his relatives, were the ones who put of the funds to build a racetrack outside of Louisville and so the Louisville Jockey Club emerged. But before the Kentucky Derby actually began, there was ten years of organization that first took place.
In its early years, the racetrack was fraught with financial problems for the owners of the Churchill Downs Racecourse. Seen now as the most important race in the U.S., began with hardships before it finally got established. The prize money for the winner started to attract horse owners and the distance of the race was cut back to 1 mile 2 furlongs. This drew many of the finest racehorses from all over the nation and stands today as the American Classic.