The Amazing History of The Kentucky Derby in Louisville, KY

The Kentucky Derby is a favorite spectator sport for people all over the world. It’s also one of the most unique (and longest-running) sporting events, carrying titles like “The fastest two minutes in sports,” sharing a connection to Lewis and Clark, and displaying higher fashion than some runways. Learn about how the Derby started and some of its most interesting elements.

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How It Started

The Kentucky Derby started in 1875, several years after its founder, Meriwether Lewis Clark, traveled to Europe and witnessed the Epsom Derby in England and spent time with the French Jockey Club, which was responsible for France’s famous Grand Prix de Paris Longchamps. After returning to the States, Clark enlisted the help of his uncles, Henry and John Churchill, to establish a spectacle horse race as he’d seen overseas.

The Churchills provided the land for the track and helped Clark organize the Louisville Jockey Club. After fundraising through the club, Clark was able to raise enough money to build Churchill Downs and hold the very first Kentucky Derby on May 17, 1875.

The Triple Crown

The Kentucky Derby, while probably the most famous horse race in America, is one of three premier races, which together are known as the Triple Crown. Usually, many of the same horses run in all three races. There have only been 13 Triple Crown winners in history.

The Kentucky Derby is the first of the three to run, traditionally on the first Saturday in May. Next comes the Preakness Stakes, held in Baltimore, usually on the third Saturday in May. The final race, the Belmont Stakes, runs in Elmont, New York, in early June.

Past Winners

The Kentucky Derby has a storied history of winning horses. A few fun facts related to the winning horses include:

• Nineteen winners’ names began with the letter “S,” including the famous Secretariat.
• In the history of the Derby, only three fillies, or female horses, have won the race. No filly has ever won the Triple Crown.
• The name of the first horse to win the Kentucky Derby was Aristides, and he was owned by a former enslaved person.
• Secretariat, who won in 1973, still holds the record for the fastest Derby time at 1:59.40.

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The Jockeys

The jockeys have just as interesting a history as the horses they ride. Here are some fun tidbits about Kentucky Derby jockeys:

• A female jockey has never won the Kentucky Derby, but Shelley Riley got close when she came in second in 1992. Diane Crump, the first female jockey, participated in 1970.
• The youngest ever winning jockey, Alonzo “Lonnie” Clayton, was 15 years old when he won in 1892.
• Bill Shoemaker was the oldest winning jockey. He was 54 when he won the Derby in 1986. He also rode 26 different horses in the Kentucky Derby over his career.

Birthdays and Ages

There are fairly strict rules for the horses that run in the Kentucky Derby. They must be thoroughbreds, and they can be no older than 3 years old. In fact, most of the horses that run are exactly 3 years old. All thoroughbreds, regardless of the actual day they were born, share January 1st as their official birthday. It helps owners and trainers more easily track the horse’s lineage.

Lewis and Clark

You may have noticed that the founder of the Kentucky Derby, Meriwether Lewis Clark, shares his name with two famous American explorers. That’s no coincidence — Meriwether Lewis Clark was the grandson of William Clark, the famed explorer who mapped much of the western expanse of the United States alongside Meriwether Lewis.

A Very Important Date

It’s incredibly rare for the Kentucky Derby to vary from its annual race date on the first Saturday in May since it was officially deemed “Derby Day” in 1938. Regardless of the weather or temperature outside, the race goes on. There have only been two occasions since 1938 in which a change in the race date has been necessary.

In 1945, the Derby ran on June 9 rather than the first Saturday in May. Racing had been banned nationwide to keep the focus on the World War II effort that year. The only other postponement is for 2020. Due to COVID-19, the race will run the first Saturday in September rather than the first Saturday in May.

An Upset

The 2019 Kentucky Derby was an incredible upset and the first finish of its kind in the history of the race. The horse that crossed the finish line first, Maximum Security, did not win the race. After careful review, he was disqualified after illegally obstructing the paths of three other horses on the far turn. The title went to the second-place finisher instead, Country House.

2019 was also the first time in history that the total winnings exceeded $3 million — from 2005 to 2018, the purse sat at around $2 million. The first-place winner got to take home $1.86 million, while $600,000 went to the second-place winner, $300,000 to the third-place winner, $150,000 to the fourth-place winner, and $90,000 to the fifth-place winner.

Churchill Downs

Churchill Downs is the name of the famous track that hosts the Kentucky Derby annually. However, it didn’t go by its iconic name until 1883. When originally built, the structure included the racetrack, a grandstand, a clubhouse, the Porter’s Lodge, and a few stables for the horses. Now, the complex spans over 147 acres, though the original components still stand. The iconic twin spires atop Churchill Downs weren’t added to the structure until 1895.

The Kentucky Derby is a beloved pastime in Louisville, Kentucky, and the entire country. Whether you’re able to visit Churchill Downs for the race itself or watch on television, we hope you enjoy knowing a bit more about the history of the race. We here at Oxmoor Toyota of Louisville want to know what your favorite facts about the Kentucky Derby are — let us know in the comments below! If we missed anything, we’d be happy to add it.