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52-882: Originally, the event was known as the Derby Trial Stakes and was held one week before the Kentucky Derby . It was first run in 1924 and every year since, with the exception of 1928. The race name was given similar to races in Britain which preceded the Epsom Derby such as the Investec Derby Trial (now Blue Riband Trial Stakes ) and Lingfield Derby Trial and in Australia, the Geelong Derby Trial Stakes (now known as

104-743: A filly . † Designates a horse that won American Horse of the Year in the same year they won the Derby. ‡ Designates a horse that was inducted in subsequent years into the National Racing Hall of Fame . Winners of the Kentucky Derby can be connected to each other due to the practice of arranging horse breeding based on their previous success. All of the horses can be traced back to the three foundational sires, with Godolphin Arabian

156-681: A Kentucky Derby field that included champions Gallant Man , Round Table and Bold Ruler and is generally considered to be the greatest field in Derby history. King Ranch 's Assault finished fourth in the Trial, but returned to win the Derby and sweep the Triple Crown. In 1941, Triple Crown winner Whirlaway finished second in the Derby Trial, but returned to sweep the Derby, Preakness Stakes and Belmont Stakes . Kentucky Derby The Kentucky Derby ( / ˈ d ɜːr b i / )

208-666: A corporate sponsorship deal to call the race "The Kentucky Derby presented by Yum! Brands." In 2018, Woodford Reserve replaced Yum! Brands as the presenting sponsor. In addition to the race itself, several traditions play a significant role in the Derby atmosphere. The mint julep —an iced drink consisting of bourbon , mint , and sugar syrup—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 ,

260-501: 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,

312-693: A group of racing enthusiasts had formed the French Jockey Club in 1863. They had organized the Grand Prix de Paris at Longchamp , 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 as Churchill Downs , named for John and Henry Churchill, who provided

364-536: A large area, flying in hundreds of private aircraft to Louisville International Airport . The Derby is frequently referred to as " The Run for the Roses ", because a lush blanket of 554 red roses is awarded to the Kentucky Derby winner each year. New York sports columnist and future Churchill Downs president Bill Corum in 1925 began describing the race thusly, but the tradition originated in 1883 when New York City socialite E. Berry Wall presented roses to ladies at

416-581: A nose in a driving finish, with Round Table third and Bold Ruler fourth. After first blaming his actions on a bad step by Gallant Man, Shoemaker admitted that he misjudged the + 1 ⁄ 16 mile pole as the finish line, and he was suspended 15 days by the Churchill Downs stewards for "gross carelessness". His gaffe has been noted in books, in articles, and on online sites as one of the biggest blunders in racing history. Following his Kentucky Derby win, Iron Liege finished second to Bold Ruler in

468-566: 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. HM Queen Elizabeth II , on

520-465: 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. The Governor of Kentucky and the Chairman of Churchill Downs Incorporated present

572-419: A protracted legal battle by the owners of Dancer's Image (which they lost). Forward Pass thus became the eighth winner for Calumet Farm . Unexpectedly, the regulations at Kentucky thoroughbred race tracks were changed some years later, allowing horses to run on phenylbutazone . In 1970, Diane Crump became the first female jockey to ride in the Derby, finishing 15th aboard Fathom. The fastest time ever run in

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624-481: 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 of historical race wagering terminals at 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,

676-433: A thick stew of beef, chicken, pork, and vegetables, is a popular Kentucky dish served at the Derby. The infield —a spectator area inside the track—offers general admission prices but little chance of seeing much of the race, particularly before the jumbotron installation 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

728-628: A third-place finish to victorious Gen. Duke and Bold Ruler in the Florida Derby . Both colts were entered in the Derby Trial preceding the Kentucky Derby, with Gen. Duke finishing second and Iron Liege fifth. After the race, Jones determined that Gen. Duke was not fit to run in the Derby, which left Iron Liege his sole entrant against perhaps the greatest field ever assembled for the race, including: Bold Ruler, Round Table , and Gallant Man . Future Hall of Fame jockey Bill Hartack , who

780-612: 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 a court order —were allowed to wear corporate advertising logos on their clothing. Norman Adams has been the designer of the Kentucky Derby Logo since 2002. On February 1, 2006, the Louisville-based fast-food company Yum! Brands, Inc. announced

832-473: Is 8 lengths, a feat tied by four different horses: Old Rosebud in 1914, Johnstown in 1939, Whirlaway in 1941, and Assault in 1946. The highest odds of a winning horse were 91 to 1 for Donerail in 1913. The second-highest odds occurred in 2022, when Rich Strike went 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), and Mage (2023). 107 jockeys have won

884-577: Is an American Grade I stakes race run at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky . The race is run by three-year-old Thoroughbreds at a distance of 1 + 1 ⁄ 4 miles (10 furlongs; 2,012 metres). Colts and geldings carry 126 pounds (57 kilograms) and fillies 121 pounds (55 kilograms). Held annually on the first Saturday in May, the Derby is the first leg of the Triple Crown . It

936-530: Is preceded by the two-week-long Kentucky 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 president Matt Winn . At least two of these descriptions are thought to be derived from

988-669: The Geelong Classic ). In 2015, this race was renamed to the Pat Day Mile Stakes (in honor of the Hall of Fame jockey, Pat Day ) and moved to the undercard of Kentucky Derby day. Its purse was increased from $ 150,000 to $ 200,000. In 2016, the purse was raised to $ 250,000. From 2010 through 2012, it had been named the Cliff's Edge Derby Trial . The distance was reduced between 1977 and 1981 to 7 furlongs. And once again

1040-553: The Herod (1758) line) are: The Godolphin Arabian (1724c) sire line produced 7 winners (6 colts, 1 gelding). The main branches of this sire (all branched through the West Australian (1850) line) are: Legend – ₩ = Triple Crown winners, ♥ = Filly Iron Liege Iron Liege (March 11, 1954 – December 14, 1972) was an American Thoroughbred racehorse best known for winning the 1957 Kentucky Derby . Iron Liege

1092-767: The Preakness , but did not compete in the Belmont Stakes . He also finished second in the American Derby to Round Table. As a three-year-old, Iron Liege also posted stakes wins in the Forerunner Stakes , Sheridan Stakes, Laurance Armour Memorial Handicap, and Jersey Stakes . As a four-year-old, he won the McLennan Handicap . Iron Liege stood as a breeding stallion in Japan and died at

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1144-672: The Preakness Stakes at the Pimlico Race Course , in Baltimore , and the Belmont Stakes in Elmont, New York . The three races offered large purses, and in 1919 , Sir Barton became the first horse to win all three races. However, the term " Triple Crown " did not come into use for another eleven years. In 1930 , when Gallant Fox became the second horse to win all three races, sportswriter Charles Hatton brought

1196-481: The Derby in 2005. The last horse to win the Saturday before the Derby and then win the roses was Cannonade in 1974. But the race he won was the now-defunct 7f Stepping Stone Purse, not the Derby Trial. Several Kentucky Derby winners failed to win the Trial, but bounced back to win the "Run for the Roses." Most notable of those were Calumet Farm's Iron Liege , who finished fifth in the Trial and returned to defeat

1248-435: 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), and Bob 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

1300-401: The Derby was in 1973 at 1:59.4 minutes, when Secretariat broke the record set by Northern Dancer in 1964 . 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

1352-467: The Derby was postponed from May 2 to September 5 due to the COVID-19 pandemic . This was the second time in history the race had been postponed, the other being in 1945 . Churchill Downs used a new singular 20-stall starting gate for the 2020 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

1404-575: The Kentucky Derby and its sibling race, the Kentucky Oaks , have been run every year since inception. They were twice rescheduled within the same year, the first time due to World War II in 1945 , and the second time due to the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 . 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

1456-418: The Kentucky Derby often will compete in the Kentucky 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;" 7 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 Crown winners are in bold and highlighted with gold. # Designates

1508-622: The Kentucky Derby, and the Preakness Stakes last. On May 16, 1925, the first live radio broadcast of the Kentucky Derby aired on WHAS as well as on WGN in Chicago. On May 7, 1949, the first television coverage of the Kentucky Derby took place, produced by WAVE-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,

1560-517: 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), and Victor 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). 116 trainers have won the Kentucky Derby, with 19 doing so multiple times. Six trainers have won

1612-577: The Preakness, Alydeed, Cherokee Run and Macho Again finished second at Pimlico Race Course and Key to the Mint finished third. And two of trainer Woody Stephens ' Trial winners Caveat in 1983 and Creme Fraiche in '85 went on to win the Belmont Stakes (GI). Additionally, the 2008 Belmont Stakes was won by Da'Tara , trained by Nick Zito , who finished in fifth place in the 2008 Derby Trial Stakes. Calumet Farm had three horses that finished second in

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1664-482: The Trial and the 1 3/16ths-mile Preakness in Baltimore is perfect. In recent years, the Trial has sent the Preakness such horses as Key to the Mint (1972), No More Flowers (1987), Houston (1989), Honor Grades (1991), Alydeed (1992), Cherokee Run (1993), Numerous (1994), Our Gatsby (1995), Black Cash (1998), Patience Game (1999), Sir Shackleton (2004), Flying First Class (2007), Macho Again (2008), and Pleasant Prince (2010). Although none of those Trial horses won

1716-407: The Trial. In 1941, Whirlaway finished second to Blue Pair in the Trial, but then roared back to win the Triple Crown . In 1949, Ponder was second to Olympia in the Trial, but came back five days later to take the Derby by three lengths over Capot . In 1957, Middleground finished second in the Trial to Black George on a muddy track, but won the Kentucky Derby later on a fast track. And then there

1768-585: The ancestor of 7 winners, Byerley Turk the ancestor of 11 winners, and Darley Arabian the ancestor of 132 winners, including all winners since 1938. The Darley Arabian (1700c) sire line (all branched through the Eclipse (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: The Byerley Turk (1680c) sire line produced 11 winners (8 colts, 3 geldings). The main branches of this sire (all branched through

1820-493: The distance from 2007 to 2009 was 7 + 1 ⁄ 2 furlongs. The Derby Trial Stakes was an ungraded event from 2006 to 2008. Four trainers have won the Derby Trial and the Kentucky Derby with the same horse. The feat was accomplished by Hanley Webb in 1924 with Black Gold and by Ben A. Jones who did it twice, first with the great Citation in 1948 and then with Hill Gail in 1952. Eddie Hayward won both in 1953 with Dark Star and in 1958 Jimmy Jones , son of Ben, became

1872-458: The first Derby. Under jockey Oliver Lewis , a colt named Aristides , who was trained by future Hall of Famer Ansel Williamson , won the inaugural Derby. Later that year, Lewis rode Aristides to a second-place finish in the Belmont Stakes . Initially a successful venue, the track ran into financial difficulties due to a protracted, gambling-related horseman boycott removing it from the upper echelons of racing that would last until just after

1924-412: The first national television coverage of the Kentucky Derby took place, aired from then- CBS affiliate WHAS-TV . In 1954, the purse exceeded US$ 100,000 for the first time. In 1968, Dancer's Image became the first horse to win the race and then face disqualification. A urine test revealed traces of phenylbutazone (an anti-inflammatory painkiller drug) inside Dancer's Image. Forward Pass won after

1976-476: The fourth and last to do it when he won the two races with Tim Tam . Since Tim Tam, the gradual trend in training has been toward giving Derby contenders fewer prep races and more time between them. This practice has all but eliminated the Trial as a legitimate Derby prep race. Even the 1982 decision to move it from the Tuesday before the Derby to the Saturday before didn't help. However, the three weeks between

2028-542: The garland and the Kentucky Derby Trophy to the winner. Pop vocalist Dan Fogelberg composed 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

2080-470: The land for the racetrack. The naming went official in 1937. The Kentucky Derby was first run at 1 + 1 ⁄ 2 miles (12 furlongs ; 2.4 km) the same distance as the Epsom Derby , before changing lengths in 1896 to its current 1 + 1 ⁄ 4 miles (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

2132-591: The oldest that have been held annually on the same track every year. The Derby is the most-watched and most-attended horse race in the United States. The 2024 Kentucky Derby marked the 150th running of the race. In 1872, Col. Meriwether Lewis Clark Jr. , grandson of William Clark of the Lewis and Clark expedition , traveled to England, visiting Epsom in Surrey where The Derby had been running annually since 1780. From there, Clark went on to Paris, France , where

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2184-534: 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

2236-407: 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,

2288-518: The race, numerous activities took place for the Kentucky Derby Festival . Thunder Over Louisville —an airshow and fireworks display—generally begins the festivities in earnest two weeks before the Derby. Secretariat set the record for speed in 1973 with a time of 1:59.4. During its first two decades when the Derby was run at 1 + 1 ⁄ 2 miles, the record was 2:34.5, set by Spokane in 1889. The largest margin of victory

2340-595: The rich, the famous and the well-connected. Women appear in elegant outfits lavishly accessorized with large, elaborate hats. Following the Call to the Post played on bugle by Steve Buttleman, as the horses start to parade before the grandstands, the University of Louisville Cardinal Marching Band plays Stephen Foster 's " My Old Kentucky Home ". This song is a tradition which began in 1921. The event attracts spectators from

2392-443: The start of the race, especially in the gap between the two gates. Rich Strike , a reserve who only made it into the final field after a late scratching, won the race in 2022 at final odds of 80:1 and parimutuel betting payouts 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,

2444-434: The thoroughbred racing convention of one length equaling one-fifth of a second to calculate Sham 's time, he also finished in under two minutes. Another sub-two-minute finish, only the third, was set in 2001 by Monarchos at 1:59.97, the first year the race used hundredths of seconds instead of fifths in timing. In 2005, the purse distribution for the Derby changed, so that horses finishing fifth would henceforth receive

2496-679: 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 by Col. Matt Winn of 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

2548-592: The words of sportswriter Grantland 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—the Preakness Stakes and the Belmont Stakes —along with the Travers Stakes (the oldest comparable stakes race in the US),

2600-453: Was Gen. Duke's regular rider, was assigned to ride Iron Liege in the Derby. In the Derby, Iron Liege took the lead over pacesetter Federal Hill but encountered a fast-charging Gallant Man in deep stretch. As the two passed the + 1 ⁄ 16 mile pole, Gallant Man's rider, future Hall of Fame jockey Bill Shoemaker , stood up in his irons long enough for Gallant Man to briefly lose his stride. Iron Liege held off Gallant Man and won by

2652-587: Was a bay horse bred and owned by Calumet Farm . He was sired by Calumet's leading sire Bull Lea , out of the mare Iron Maiden a daughter of the 1937 U.S. Triple Crown champion, War Admiral . Iron Maiden also produced Iron Reward, the dam of Swaps . He was trained throughout his racing career by Hall of Fame trainer Jimmy Jones . As a three-year-old colt in 1957 leading up to the Kentucky Derby, Iron Liege and his more highly regarded stablemate Gen. Duke sometimes ran coupled. These races included an allowance win by Iron Liege over Gen. Duke at Hialeah and

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2704-440: Was the ill-fated Gen. Duke in 1957. He came to Churchill Downs touted as a potential superstar, but finished second to Federal Hill in the Trial. Then, the morning of the Derby, Gen. Duke was scratched because of a foot injury suffered in the Trial. In 1967, Barb's Delight became the last Trial horse to have a significant impact on the Derby, finishing second by a length to longshot Proud Clarion . Don't Get Mad finished fourth in

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