Kentucky Derby Day is held every year on the first Saturday in May. The Kentucky Derby is often called “The Running of the Roses” or “The Run for the Roses”. It is a premiere horse racing event held at Churchill Downs Racetrack in Kentucky and is the first race in the Triple Crown of horse racing. The other two races are the Preakness Stakes and the Belmont Stakes.
In celebration of the upcoming Kentucky Derby, I thought it would be fun to share some interesting facts:
Also called “The Most Exciting Two Minutes in Sports” or “The Fastest Two Minutes in Sports”, as the race lasts about two minutes;
This year will be the 150th Anniversary of the Kentucky Derby;
The traditional drink of the Kentucky Derby is the Mint Julep;
In 1970, Diane Crump became the first female jockey to ride in the Kentucky Derby;
No female jockey has ever won the Kentucky Derby, but Shelley Riley came in 2nd place in 1992;
Nineteen past winners of the Kentucky Derby have had names that begin with “S,” including Secretariat;
Only 3-year-old horses are allowed to compete in the Kentucky Derby;
All thoroughbred racehorses have the same birthday, January 1st, no matter what day a horse is born during that year;
More winning horses of the Kentucky Derby have come from Kentucky than any other state in the U.S.;
Since the starting gate was introduced at Churchill Downs, post position 5 has had the most winners at 10;
No horses with names starting with Q, X, or Y have ever won the Derby;
Secretariat ran the fastest time at the Derby in 1973 at 1:59.4 minutes;
The Kentucky Derby is typically held on the first Saturday in May except once in 1945 when a wartime ban postponed the race and a second time when the race was moved to September due to the COVID-19 pandemic;
The purse for this year’s 150th Kentucky Derby has been raised to $5 million, with $3.1 million going to the winner.
If you’re not able to attend the 150th running of the Kentucky Derby on May 4, 2024, be sure to watch it on TV.
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