The Matt Winn Stakes is a Grade III American Thoroughbred horse race for three-year-old horses run over a distance of 1+1⁄16 miles on the dirt at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky.
[1] The race was inaugurated in 2002[2] in honor Kentucky Derby and Churchill Downs's Col. Matt Winn, who served as president and general manager of the historic track from 1902 to 1949.
Known by the media as "Mr. Derby," Winn is credited with building the Kentucky Derby into America's greatest race and one of the world's great sports events.
[1] In 2020 as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, the event was rescheduled to May 23 from its normal date in mid-June.
[3] In 2023 the event was moved to Ellis Park after Churchill Downs closed their spring meeting earlier due to a spate of injuries.