The Kentucky Derby has welcomed thousands of spectators to Louisville, Kentucky since the first race in 1875. The Derby was first nationally televised in 1952 and has been widely watched by people across the country ever since.
The race, started by Meriwether Lewis Clark Jr., has become the longest running sporting event in U.S. history. Today, millions of people participate in racing through visits to Churchill Downs, Derby-themed watch parties, gambling, and more.
There were many memorable moments at the Kentucky Derby. Here we will introduce just a few.
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The Kentucky Derby is held every year at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky. (Andy Lyons/Getty Images)
- 1875: Aristides becomes the first Kentucky Derby winner.
- 1915: First mare crowned
- 1919: Lord Burton wins the Triple Crown for the first time
- 1952: Derby becomes nationally televised.
- 1968: Dancer’s Image received no prize money
- 1973: Secretariat becomes (and remains) fastest Derby winner.
- 1986: Oldest jockey wins Derby
- 2009: Mine That Bird goes from worst to best
- 2019: Country House wins the Derby after being disqualified
- 2022: Rich Strike wins Derby as last minute addition
1. 1875: Aristides becomes the first Kentucky Derby winner.
The first Kentucky Derby was won in 1875 by Aristides and jockey Oliver Lewis.
According to the Kentucky Derby website, approximately 10,000 fans attended the first race at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky to experience the historic Derby.
According to the site, Aristides won with a time of just over 2 minutes and 30 seconds. Lewis was only 19 years old at the time of his victory. It was the only Derby he competed in.
The first Kentucky Derby was held in 1875. (Caufield & Shook/Library of Congress/Corbis/VCG, Getty Images)
According to officials, the prize money for winning the first race was $2,850.
In the early stages of the Derby, the race was 1.5 miles long. In 1896, this was reduced to 1.25 miles, and this distance is still used today.
2. 1915: First mare crowned
According to the Kentucky Derby website, the first time a filly crossed the Kentucky Derby finish line was in 1915.
Regret won that race. Since then, only two other fillies have won.
The next time a filly won the trophy was in 1980 when Genuine Risk won. Winning Colors he won in 1988. All three winners were the only fillies running in the race at the time of their victories.
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In recent years, only three fillies have won the Kentucky Derby, including the second, Genuine Risk, in 1980. (Jerry Cook/Corbis via Getty Images)
According to the site, a total of 40 fillies have entered the Kentucky Derby so far.
3. 1919: Lord Burton wins the Triple Crown for the first time
According to the Kentucky Derby website, the first horse to win the Triple Crown was Sir Burton in 1919.
The Triple Crown is the greatest feat in horse racing. To win the Triple Crown, a horse must win the Kentucky Derby, Preakness Stakes, and Belmont Stakes.
Only 13 horses in Kentucky Derby history have accomplished this feat.
The horses that won the Triple Crown are as follows:
- Lord Burton (1919)
- Brave Fox (1930)
- Omaha (1935)
- Army Admiral (1937)
- Whirlway (1941)
- Earl’s Fleet (1943)
- Raid (1946)
- Quote (1948)
- Secretariat (1973)
- Seattle Show (1977)
- Affirmation (1978)
- American Pharoah (2015)
- Justify (2018)
Four. 1952: Derby becomes nationally televised.
According to History.com, the Derby was first televised in 1952.
According to the Kentucky Derby website, the race was won by American Thoroughbred Hill Gale, jockey Eddie Arcaro and trainer Ben A. Jones.
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Hill Gale was the winner of the first nationally televised Kentucky Derby in 1952. (Bettman/Contributor)
Five. 1968: Dancer’s Image received no prize money
According to History.com, no prize money was paid to the winner of the 1968 Derby.
According to sources, that year’s winner, Dancers Image, defended his title for three days until he was disqualified due to drugs.
Dancer’s Image was drug tested after the race and traces of phenylbutazone, a horse painkiller, were detected. At the time of the race, drugs administered to horses; According to History.com.
It was later discovered that the drug had been administered to the horse about a week before the race, but was still in the horse’s system at the time of the Derby. As a result, he was disqualified, and the second-place horse, Forward Pass, became the new winner.
The battle didn’t end there. A legal battle was ongoing when Dancer’s Image owner Peter D. Fuller filed suit. According to History.com, the battle lasted nearly five years. In the end, Fuller lost and the prize money went to Calumet Farms, the owners of Forward Pass.
Dancer’s Image was named the winner of the 1968 Kentucky Derby before being disqualified. (Jerry Cook/Sports Illustrated via Getty Images)
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6. 1973: Secretariat becomes (and remains) fastest Derby winner.
The 1973 race is one of the most historic in Kentucky Derby history. Thoroughbred Secretariat won in a record-breaking time of 1:59.40.
As of 2023, no other horse has beaten Secretariat’s time. The same horse was also successful as a Triple Crown winner.
7. 1986: Oldest jockey wins Derby
In 1986, Bill Shoemaker became the oldest jockey to win the Kentucky Derby, according to History.com.
He was 54 years old when he won with a horse called Ferdinand.
8. 2009: Mine That Bird goes from worst to best
One of the biggest upsets in Kentucky Derby history occurred in 2009.
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Mine That Bird’s victory in the Kentucky Derby in 2009 was one of the race’s biggest upsets. (Andy Lyons/Getty Images)
Mine That Bird, ridden by jockey Calvin Borel, was in last place for most of the race. In fact, Mine That Bird wasn’t even mentioned until NBC announcer Tom Durkin said the horse was “way behind the other horses.”
Mine That Bird remained at the back of the pack until the final straight of the race, passing all the other horses as if out of nowhere. This horse ultimately went down in history as one of his greatest comeback horses, beating odds of 50-1 and placing him in first place.
September 2019: Country House wins the Derby after being disqualified
Country House was the runner-up in the 2019 Derby, but was ultimately victorious after winner Maximum Security was disqualified shortly after the race.
An investigation determined that Maximum Security slightly veered out of his lane towards the end of the race, impacting several other horses in the race.
This gave Country House, who finished second in the Derby, a victory.
Ten. 2022: Rich Strike wins Derby as last minute addition
Rich Strike won the 2022 Kentucky Derby with a winning margin of 80-1, resulting in a major upset.
Rich Strike was a late addition to the Derby lineup after Ethereal Lord was eliminated. The horse went on to win the 148th Kentucky Derby with jockey Sonny Leon and trainer Eric Reid.
