On May 17, 1875, in front of a crowd of about 10,000 people, 15 three-year-old horses competed in the first Kentucky Derby. In the years since, this first leg of the Triple Crown has become “the most exciting two minutes in sports” and is America’s oldest continuously held sporting event.
Nickname: “The Run for the Roses,” for the blanket of 554 roses draped over the winner
Racetrack: Churchill Downs, named after John and Henry Churchill, who provided the land for the racetrack. The Churchills were relatives of Meriwether Lewis Clark Jr. (grandson of explorer William Clark), who founded the Louisville Jockey Club.
Date: First Saturday in May
Course: 1¼ miles, dirt track
Field: 3-year-old Thoroughbreds
Purse: $2 million (2008)
•Between 1875 and 1902, African American jockeys won 15 of the 28 Derbys. Thirteen out of 14 starters in the first Derby were African Americans, and one, Oliver Lewis, rode Aristides to victory in the first Derby race. (They placed second in the Belmont Stakes.)
•The youngest rider to win a Derby was 15-year-old African American jockey Alonzo Clayton, in 1892.
•Eddie Arcaro and Bill Hardtack are tied for the most Derby wins: five each.
•The mint julep—a drink consisting of bourbon, mint, sugar, and crushed ice—is the traditional beverage. And burgoo, a thick stew typically made with lamb (sometimes with beef, chicken, or pork) and vegetables, is also served.
•The University of Louisville marching band plays Stephen Foster’s “My Old Kentucky Home” during the horses’ post parade in front of the grandstands.
•The Kentucky governor awards the rose garland and trophy to the winner.
1915: Regret was the first filly to win the Derby. Only two others have matched that feat: Genuine Risk (1980) and Winning Colors (1988).
1917: English-bred Omar Khayyam was the first foreign-bred horse to win.
1952: First national television coverage of the Kentucky Derby.
1954: The purse exceeded $100,000 for the first time.
1968: The first and only time a horse has won the race and been disqualified. Dancer’s Image was stripped of his title after traces of a banned substance were found in his urine. The drug in question—phenylbutazone—was later legalized for use by racehorses in many states, including Kentucky.
1970: Diane Crump became the first female jockey to ride in the Derby.
1973: Secretariat crossed the finish line with the fastest time ever run in the Derby (at its present distance) at 1:59.4. The record still stands.
2005: The purse distribution was changed so that horses finishing fifth would get a share; previously, only the first four finishers received any.
The Derby is restricted to three-year-olds, and only one horse has won it without racing at age two: Apollo in 1882.