Kentucky Derby

TheKentucky Derby(/ˈdɜːrbi/) is an AmericanGrade I stakesracerun atChurchill DownsinLouisville, Kentucky. The race is run by three-year-oldThoroughbredsat a distance of1+1⁄4miles (10 furlongs; 2,012 metres).Coltsandgeldingscarry 126 pounds (57 kilograms) andfillies121 pounds (55 kilograms).
Held annually on the first Saturday in May, the Derby is the first leg of theTriple Crown. It is preceded by the two-week-longKentucky Derby Festival.The race is known as "The Run for the Roses", as the winning horse is draped in a blanket of roses.Lasting approximately two minutes, the Derby has been alternately called "The Most Exciting Two Minutes in Sports","The Fastest Two Minutes in Sports",or "The Greatest Two Minutes in Sports", coined by Churchill Downs presidentMatt Winn.At least two of these descriptions are thought to be derived from the words of sportswriterGrantland Rice, when in 1935 he said "Those two minutes and a second or so of derby running carry more emotional thrills, per second, than anything sport can show."
The race was first run in 1875. Unlike the other, older races of the Triple Crown—thePreakness Stakesand theBelmont Stakes—along with theTravers Stakes(the oldest comparable stakes race in the US), the Kentucky Derby and its sibling race, theKentucky Oaks, have been run every year since inception. They were twice rescheduled within the same year, the first time due toWorld War IIin1945, and the second time due to theCOVID-19 pandemicin2020. The Derby and the Oaks are the oldest major sporting events in the US held annually since their beginning.Among thoroughbred stakes races, they are the oldest that have been held annually on the same track every year.
The Derby is the most-watched andmost-attendedhorse race in the United States. The2024 Kentucky Derbymarked the 150th running of the race.
In 1872, Col.Meriwether Lewis Clark Jr., grandson ofWilliam Clarkof theLewis and Clark expedition, traveled to England, visitingEpsomin Surrey whereThe Derbyhad been running annually since 1780.From there, Clark went on toParis, France, where a group of racing enthusiasts had formed theFrench Jockey Clubin 1863. They had organized theGrand Prix de ParisatLongchamp, which at the time was the greatest race in France. Returning home to Kentucky, Clark organized the Louisville Jockey Club to raise money for building quality racing facilities just outside the city. The track would soon become known asChurchill Downs, named for John and Henry Churchill, who provided the land for the racetrack.The naming went official in 1937.
The Kentucky Derby was first run at1+1⁄2miles (12furlongs; 2.4 km) the same distance as theEpsom Derby, before changing lengths in 1896 to its current1+1⁄4miles (10 furlongs; 2 km). On May 17, 1875, in front of an estimated crowd of 10,000 people, a field of 15 three-year-old horses contested the first Derby. Under jockeyOliver Lewis, a colt namedAristides, who was trained by futureHall of FamerAnsel Williamson, won the inaugural Derby. Later that year, Lewis rode Aristides to a second-place finish in theBelmont Stakes.
Initially a successful venue, the track ran into financial difficulties due to a protracted,gambling-relatedhorseman boycottremoving it from the upper echelons of racing that would last until just after the turn of the 20th century. In 1894 the New Louisville Jockey Club was incorporated with the new capitalization and improved facilities. Despite this, the business floundered until 1902, when a syndicate led byCol. Matt Winnof Louisville acquired the facility. Under Winn, Churchill Downs prospered, and the Kentucky Derby then became the preeminent stakes race for three-year-old thoroughbred horses in North America.
Thoroughbred owners began sending their successful Derby horses to compete in two other races. These two are thePreakness Stakesat thePimlico Race Course, inBaltimore, and theBelmont StakesinElmont, New York. The three races offered large purses, and in1919,Sir Bartonbecame the first horse to win all three races. However, the term "Triple Crown" did not come into use for another eleven years. In1930, whenGallant Foxbecame the second horse to win all three races, sportswriterCharles Hattonbrought the phrase into American usage. Fueled by the media, public interest in the possibility of a "superhorse" that could win the Triple Crown began in the weeks leading up to the Derby. Two years after the term went in use, the race (until that time ran in mid-May since inception) changed the date to the first Saturday in May. This change allows for a specific schedule for the Triple Crown races. Since 1931, the order of Triple Crown races has been the Kentucky Derby first, followed by the Preakness Stakes and then the Belmont Stakes. Before 1931, eleven times the Preakness was run before the Derby. On May 12, 1917, and again on May 13, 1922, the Preakness and the Derby took place on the same day. On eleven occasions the Belmont Stakes was run before the Preakness Stakes, and in 2020, the Belmont was run first, then the Kentucky Derby, and the Preakness Stakes last.
On May 16, 1925, the first live radio broadcast of the Kentucky Derby aired onWHASas well as onWGNin Chicago.On May 7, 1949, the first television coverage of the Kentucky Derby took place, produced byWAVE-TV, the NBC affiliate in Louisville. This coverage was aired live in the Louisville market and sent to NBC as a kinescope newsreel recording for national broadcast. On May 3, 1952, the first national television coverage of the Kentucky Derby took place, aired from then-CBSaffiliateWHAS-TV.In 1954, the purse exceeded US$100,000 for the first time. In 1968,Dancer's Imagebecame the first horse to win the race and then face disqualification. Aurine testrevealed traces ofphenylbutazone(ananti-inflammatorypainkiller drug) inside Dancer's Image.Forward Passwon after a protracted legal battle by the owners of Dancer's Image (which they lost). Forward Pass thus became the eighth winner forCalumet Farm. Unexpectedly, the regulations at Kentucky thoroughbred race tracks were changed some years later, allowing horses to run onphenylbutazone. In 1970,Diane Crumpbecame the first female jockey to ride in the Derby, finishing 15th aboard Fathom.
The fastest time ever run in the Derby was in1973at 1:59.4 minutes, whenSecretariatbroke the record set byNorthern Dancerin1964. Also during that race, Secretariat did something unique in Triple Crown races: for each successive quarter run, his times were faster. Although the races do not record times for non-winners, in 1973 Sham finished second, two and a half lengths behind Secretariat in the same race. Using the thoroughbred racing convention of one length equaling one-fifth of a second to calculateSham's time, he also finished in under two minutes. Another sub-two-minute finish, only the third, was set in2001byMonarchosat 1:59.97, the first year the race used hundredths of seconds instead of fifths in timing.
In 2005, thepurse distributionfor the Derby changed, so that horses finishing fifth would henceforth receive a share of the purse; previously only the first four finishers did so.
The Kentucky Derby began offering $3 million in purse money in 2019. Churchill Downs officials have cited the success ofhistorical race wagering terminalsat their Derby City Gaming facility in Louisville as a factor behind the purse increase. The Derby first offered a $1 million purse in 1996; it was doubled to $2 million in 2005.
In 2020, the Derby was postponed from May 2 to September 5 due to theCOVID-19 pandemic.This was the second time in history the race had been postponed, the other being in1945.Churchill Downs used a new singular 20-stall starting gate for the2020 Kentucky Derby, replacing the previous arrangement that used a standard 14-stall gate and an auxiliary six-stall gate.The old setup contributed to congestion at the start of the race, especially in the gap between the two gates.
Rich Strike, areservewho only made it into the final field after a late scratching, won therace in 2022at final odds of 80:1 andparimutuel bettingpayouts were even larger.
In January 2024, the purse for the Kentucky Derby was increased to $5 million.
Millions of people from around the world bet at various live tracks and online sportsbooks.In 2017, a crowd of 158,070 watched Always Dreaming win the Derby, making it the seventh biggest attendance in the history of the racetrack. The track reported a wagering total of $209.2 million from all the sources on all the races on the Kentucky Derby Day program. It was a 9 percent increase compared to the total of $192.6 million in 2016 and an increase of 8 percent over the previous record set in 2015 of $194.3 million.TwinSpires, a platform for betting online and a partner of the Kentucky Derby and the Breeders' Cup, recorded $32.8 million in handle on the Churchill Down races for the Kentucky Derby Day program. This record was a 22 percent increase over the preceding year. On the Kentucky Derby race alone, the handle of TwinSpires was $20.1 million, which is a 22 percent rise compared to the prior year.
The race often draws celebrities. HMQueen Elizabeth II, on a visit to the United States, joined the racegoers at Churchill Downs in 2007.
The 2004 Kentucky Derby marked the first time that jockeys—as a result of acourt order—were allowed to wear corporate advertisinglogoson their clothing.
Norman Adams has been the designer of the Kentucky Derby Logo since 2002. On February 1, 2006, the Louisville-basedfast-foodcompanyYum! Brands, Inc.announced a corporate sponsorship deal to call the race "The Kentucky Derby presented by Yum! Brands."In 2018,Woodford Reservereplaced Yum! Brands as the presenting sponsor.
In addition to the race itself, several traditions play a significant role in the Derby atmosphere. Themint julep—an iced drink consisting ofbourbon,mint, andsugarsyrup—is the traditional beverage of the race. The historic beverage comes served in an ice-frosted silver julep cup. However, most Churchill Downs patrons sip theirs from souvenir glasses (first offered in 1939 and available in revised form each year since) printed with all previous Derby winners.Also,burgoo, a thick stew of beef, chicken, pork, and vegetables, is a popular Kentucky dish served at the Derby.
Theinfield—a spectator area inside the track—offers general admission prices but little chance of seeing much of the race, particularly before thejumbotroninstallation in 2014.Instead, revelers show up in the infield to party with abandon. By contrast, "Millionaire's Row" refers to the expensive box seats that attract the rich, the famous and the well-connected. Women appear in elegant outfits lavishly accessorized with large, elaborate hats. Following theCall to the Postplayed on bugle by Steve Buttleman, as the horses start to parade before the grandstands, theUniversity of Louisville Cardinal Marching BandplaysStephen Foster's "My Old Kentucky Home". This song is a tradition which began in 1921.The event attracts spectators from a large area, flying in hundreds of private aircraft toLouisville International Airport.
The Derby is frequently referred to as "The Run for the Roses", because a lush blanket of 554 redrosesis awarded to the Kentucky Derby winner each year.New York sports columnist and future Churchill Downs presidentBill Corumin 1925 began describing the race thusly,but the tradition originated in 1883 when New York City socialiteE. Berry Wallpresented roses to ladies at a post-Derby party. The Churchill Downs founder and president, Col. Meriwether Lewis Clark Jr., attended that event. This gesture is believed to have led Clark to the idea of making the rose the race's official flower. However, it was not until 1896 that any recorded account referred to draping roses on the Derby winner.TheGovernor of Kentuckyand the Chairman ofChurchill Downs Incorporatedpresent the garland and theKentucky Derby Trophyto the winner. Pop vocalistDan Fogelbergcomposed the song "Run for the Roses", released in time for the 1980 running of the race.
"Riders Up!" is the traditional command from the Paddock Judge for jockeys to mount their horses in advance of the upcoming race. Since 2012, the grand marshal recites this phrase.
Grand marshals
In the weeks preceding the race, numerous activities took place for theKentucky Derby Festival.Thunder Over Louisville—an airshow and fireworks display—generally begins the festivities in earnest two weeks before the Derby.
Secretariatset the record for speed in 1973 with a time of 1:59.4. During its first two decades when the Derby was run at1+1⁄2miles, the record was 2:34.5, set bySpokanein 1889.
The largest margin of victory is 8 lengths, a feat tied by four different horses:Old Rosebudin 1914,Johnstownin 1939,Whirlawayin 1941, andAssaultin 1946.
The highest odds of a winning horse were 91 to 1 forDonerailin 1913. The second-highest odds occurred in 2022, whenRich Strikewent off at 80 to 1 and won the race.
Three horses have won the Kentucky Derby without competing as a two-year-old:Apollo(1882),Justify(2018), andMage(2023).
107jockeyshave won the Kentucky Derby, with 27 doing so multiple times.Isaac Murphy(1890–91),Jimmy Winkfield(1901–02),Ron Turcotte(1972–73),Eddie Delahoussaye(1982–83),Calvin Borel(2009–10), andVictor Espinoza(2014–15) are the only jockeys to win the Derby in back-to-back years. Borel is the only jockey with three wins in a four-year span (2007, '09, '10).
116trainershave won the Kentucky Derby, with 19 doing so multiple times. Six trainers have won the Derby in back-to-back years:Herbert J. Thompson(1932–33),Ben Jones(1948–49),Jimmy Jones(1957–58),Lucien Laurin(1972–73),D. Wayne Lukas(1995–96), andBob Baffert(1997–98).
Seventeen owners have won the Kentucky Derby multiple times with horses they fully or partially owned.
* Partnered with other entities in an ownership group for one or more winning horses.
Jockeys, trainers, and owners competing in the Kentucky Derby often will compete in theKentucky Oaks, a race for fillies held the day before the Derby. Winning both these races in the same year is referred to as an "Oaks/Derby Double;" 8 jockeys, 3 trainers, and 4 owners have accomplished this feat:
*Until the 1950s, the Oaks was held several days or weeks after the Derby.
Triple Crownwinners are inboldand highlighted with gold.
# Designates afilly.
† Designates a horse that wonAmerican Horse of the Yearin the same year they won the Derby.
‡ Designates a horse that was inducted in subsequent years into theNational Racing Hall of Fame.
Winners of the Kentucky Derby can be connected to each other due to the practice ofarranging horse breedingbased on their previous success. All of the horses can be traced back to the three foundational sires, withGodolphin Arabianthe ancestor of 7 winners,Byerley Turkthe ancestor of 11 winners, andDarley Arabianthe ancestor of 132 winners, including all winners since 1938.
TheDarley Arabian(1700c) sire line (all branched through theEclipse(1764) line)produced 132 Derby winners (124 colts, 5 geldings, 3 fillies), including all winners from 1938 to present.The main branches of this sire line are:
TheByerley Turk(1680c) sire lineproduced 11 winners (8 colts, 3 geldings). The main branches of this sire (all branched through theHerod(1758) line) are:
TheGodolphin Arabian(1724c) sire lineproduced 7 winners (6 colts, 1 gelding).The main branches of this sire (all branched through theWest Australian(1850) line) are: