As Churchill Downs continues preparations for the May 7 Kentucky Derby, the historic racetrack in Louisville, Ky., is set to add another major event to its calendar: the Breeders’ Cup. Thoroughbred racing’s season-ending championship will be contested under the twin spires in 2018, organizers are expected to announce Monday.

Churchill Downs has hosted the Breeders’ Cup, a two-day series of races that brings together top American and international thoroughbreds, eight times, most recently in 2010 and 2011.

Though the last Breeders’ Cup was at Keeneland in nearby Lexington, Ky., the West Coast has mostly staged the event in recent years as Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, Calif., hosted from 2012 to 2014 and will be the site again in 2016. Del Mar, located about 20 miles north of San Diego, will be the host in 2017.

Craig Fravel, president and chief executive of the Breeders’ Cup, said Churchill Downs made a push to be the host track: “They’ve been working hard over the last few years to entice us to come back.”

Fravel didn’t discuss the details of the arrangement with Churchill Downs, saying only that the deals are structured as partnerships. “We have a profit sharing arrangement and hopefully we both make money from it,” he said.