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October 25, 2009 2:07 pm
I went to Cincinnati over the weekend and saw a sign on the way for "Indiana Downs" (a horse track) which reminded me of "Churchill Downs" (also a place to race horses) and I wondered what the connection between the word "downs" and horse tracks is.
ArteNow
2 Replies
October 26, 2009 4:15 am
The OED offers the following for "downs", as in Epsom Downs Racecourse:
2. An open expanse of elevated land; spec., in pl., the treeless undulating chalk uplands of the south and south-east of England, serving chiefly for pasturage; applied to similar tracts elsewhere.
October 26, 2009 4:22 am
That's a good question. In Minnesota, we have Canterbury Downs.