Information on the Kentucky Derby

The Kentucky Derby is a race for three-year-old thoroughbred horses that is held at Churchill Downs Racetrack in Louisville, Ken., on the first Saturday of May each year. The race has been held annually since 1875, making it the longest continuously staged sporting event in the United States. The race is famous internationally not only for the race itself but for the accompanying spectacle.

  1. Race

    • The Kentucky Derby covers a distance of one and a quarter miles on a dirt track. One of its principal nicknames is "The Most Exciting Two Minutes in Sports" because the winning horses typically finish in a time of near two minutes. The Kentucky Derby is the first and most prominent leg of the Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing, a series of high-profile, large-purse races that also includes the Preakness States, which is held in Baltimore, and the Belmont Stakes, which is held in Belmont, N.Y.

    Traditions

    • Over its rich history, the Kentucky Derby has acquired a number of traditions that have stuck. For instance, the University of Louisville Marching Band always plays the song "My Old Kentucky Home" before the race, joined by exuberant singing from the crowd. Iced drinks called Mint Juleps are prevalent, as is a thick lamb stew called Burgoo, according to KentuckyDerby.info. The race is referred to as the "Run for the Roses" because the winning horse is always draped with a garland of roses.

    History

    • Churchill Downs was founded by Col. M. Lewis Clark in 1875, and the first Kentucky Derby was held the same year, along with the Kentucky Oaks and the Clark Handicap, which continue to be held at Churchill Downs. Clark designed the races after three major races in England. The Twin Spires, which have become an iconic symbol of Churchill Downs, were built in 1895 as part of the construction of a new grandstand.

    Fashion

    • The fashion choices of the fans in attendance has become a highly anticipated aspect of the Kentucky Derby. In the reserved seating areas at the racetrack, both male and female fans tend to wear formal clothes that have a touch of flashiness, according to KentuckyDerby.com. Elaborate hats, especially on women, are ubiquitous and a particularly conspicuous insertion of fashion into the festivities.

    Crowd

    • The Kentucky Derby attracts a crowd of more than 150,000 people to Churchill Downs Racetrack each year, as well as a large television audience. Many of those in attendance gamble on the race, as well as the day's other races, through parimutuel betting at the track, according to KentuckyDerby.info. There are expensive box seats called "Millionaires' Row," where many of the most wealthy attendees can be found, and there is an infield, an area inside the track where fans tend to be more raucous and informal.