Louisville Downs

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Louisville Downs was a half-mile harness racing track in Louisville, Kentucky. It opened in 1966 and hosted harness racing for about 25 years until it was sold to Churchill Downs Inc. in 1991. The track was built and run by William H. King, a local promoter who pioneered phone wagering (Call-a-Bet) and full-card simulcast wagering for television viewers. Today the site is home to Derby City Gaming, a historical racing parlor opened in 2018.

King came to prominence promoting sports and entertainment events in Louisville, including the first Cassius Clay professional boxing match in 1960. In 1965-66 he and investors bought an 80-acre site at 4520 Poplar Level Road and built Louisville Downs. The track was designed by John H. Menges and built by Mainstream Corporation. Construction began in 1965 and finished in 1966.

Louisville Downs opened on July 14, 1966, with a 51-night meet. Opening night drew 3,490 fans and about $102,000 in wagers. The first race winner was Charming Lad. By 1976, the track enjoyed its strongest years, attracting over 3,000 spectators daily and more than $220,000 in daily wagers at times. King promoted many crowd-drawing events, including Quarter Night, giveaways, and cash drawings.

In 1981 King introduced Call-A-Bet, the first advanced-deposit wagering system, and in 1988 added full-card simulcast racing. The Kentucky Pacing Derby began at Louisville Downs in 1978, attracting top 2-year-old pacers such as Niatross.

Louisville Downs hosted other events as well, including the AMA Half-Mile Grand National Championship from 1967 to 1991, fireworks shows, and a water-ski show on the infield lake. Harness racing ended in 1991 when Churchill Downs Inc. purchased the site for $6 million, using the grandstand for simulcast racing and the track for training thoroughbreds. The grandstand was razed in 2015. In 2018 Churchill Downs opened Derby City Gaming, a historical racing facility on the same site. There have been discussions about bringing harness racing back; in 2018 Churchill Downs and Keeneland filed an application to hold 10 days of harness meets in 2019.