Can I download the latest version of Magento? SOLVED!

Evening all! I have secured my hosting with Hostgator and I did a fresh install of Magento only to find out it’s version 1.8.1.0. Can I download the latest version of Magento and install it after uninstalling the old version? I have no data and no major changes have been made.

If I can install the latest version, are there any updates I should address or pass to the hosting company in regards to the server before attempting the install?

Thank you for the help, it is greatly appreciated.