Held annually on the first Saturday in May, the Derby is the first leg of theTriple Crown. It is preceded by the two-week-longKentucky Derby Festival.[4] The race is known as "The Run for the Roses", as the winning horse is draped in a blanket of roses.[5][6] Lasting approximately two minutes, the Derby has been alternately called "The Most Exciting Two Minutes in Sports",[7][8] "The Fastest Two Minutes in Sports",[9][10] or "The Greatest Two Minutes in Sports", coined by Churchill Downs presidentMatt Winn.[11][12] At least two of these descriptions are thought to be derived from the words of sportswriterGrantland 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."[6][13]
The race was first run in 1875. Unlike the other, older races of the Triple Crown—thePreakness Stakes and theBelmont Stakes—along with theTravers Stakes (the oldest comparable stakes race in the US), the Kentucky Derby and its sibling race, theKentucky Oaks, have been run every year since inception. They were twice rescheduled within the same year, the first time due toWorld War II in1945, and the second time due to theCOVID-19 pandemic in2020. The Derby and the Oaks are the oldest major sporting events in the US held annually since their beginning.[5][14] Among thoroughbred stakes races, they are the oldest that have been held annually on the same track every year.[5]
The Derby is the most-watched andmost-attended horse race in the United States. The151st running took place on Saturday, May 3, 2025.
In 1872, Col.Meriwether Lewis Clark Jr., grandson ofWilliam Clark of theLewis and Clark Expedition, traveled to England, visitingEpsom in Surrey whereThe Derby had been running annually since 1780.[15] From there, Clark went on toParis where a group of racing enthusiasts had formed theFrench Jockey Club in 1863. They had organized theGrand Prix de Paris atLongchamp, which at the time was the greatest race in France. Returning home to Kentucky, Clark organized the Louisville Jockey Club and Driving Park Association to raise money for building quality racing facilities just outside the city.[16] First known as the Louisville Jockey Club grounds,[17] seven years later the track was commonly referred to asChurchill Downs, named for John and Henry Churchill, who provided the land for the racetrack.[18][19] The naming went official in 1937.[20]
The Kentucky Derby was first run at1+1⁄2 miles (12furlongs; 2.4 km) the same distance as theEpsom Derby, before changing lengths in 1896 to its current1+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 the first Derby. Under jockeyOliver Lewis, a colt namedAristides, who was trained by futureHall of FamerAnsel Williamson, won the inaugural Derby. Later that year, Lewis rode Aristides to a second-place finish in theBelmont Stakes.
In these early decades, Black jockeys were very influential at the Derby.[21] Horses, including race horses, had been cared for, trained and exercised by Blacks in the ante-bellum slave-holding states and this expertise laid the groundwork for future racing standards.[22] Jockeying was seen as activity unsuitable for Whites during that era and in the decades after the Civil War when it was becoming lucrative.[23][24] Black jockeys dominated the Derby in all the years before 1894, except for one.[25] In 1886 the track, which had been successful, ran into financial difficulties when a protracted,gambling-relatedhorseman boycott removed it from the upper echelons of racing until just after the turn of the 20th century.[26] In 1894 the New Louisville Jockey Club was incorporated with new capital and improved facilities.[27] The rise of on-track betting and increasing audience sizes brought larger purse sizes, and this began to attract White jockeys to the profession.[21][28] White jockeys on tracks everywhere began to use violence to attack and intimidate Black jockeys and the horses they rode.[29][30] This caused horse owners to stop hiring Black jockeys.[31] Though they were consistent Derby winners, Black jockeys began to disappear from the Derby after 1894.Jimmy Winkfield was the last Black jockey to win the derby and Black jockeys were gone by 1911.[32] But they had instituted innovations now universal in the sport.[28]Wille Simms won the Derby in 1896 and 1898 on the shortened stirrups he evolved from those used by Black jockeys before him.[33] After his racing career, Oliver Lewis began collecting and analyzing racing data, developing a system very much like the ones used today.[34]
Initially a successful venue, the track ran into financial difficulties due to a protracted,gambling-relatedhorseman boycott removing it from the upper echelons of racing that would last until just after the turn of the 20th century.[35] In 1894 the New Louisville Jockey Club was incorporated with the new capital and improved facilities.[27] Despite this, the business floundered until 1902, when a syndicate led byCol. 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.[36]
Thoroughbred owners began sending their successful Derby horses to compete in two other races. These two are thePreakness Stakes at thePimlico Race Course, inBaltimore, and theBelmont Stakes inElmont, New York. The three races offered large purses, and in1919,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. In1930, whenGallant Fox became the second horse to win all three races, sportswriterCharles Hatton brought 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, 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 the Kentucky Derby, and the Preakness Stakes last.
On May 16, 1925, the first live radio broadcast of the Kentucky Derby aired onWHAS as well as onWGN in Chicago.[37] On May 7, 1949, the first television coverage of the Kentucky Derby took place, produced byWAVE-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, the first national television coverage of the Kentucky Derby took place, aired from then-CBS affiliateWHAS-TV.[38] 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. Aurine test revealed traces ofphenylbutazone (ananti-inflammatory painkiller drug) inside Dancer's Image.Forward Pass won after a protracted legal battle by the owners of Dancer's Image (which they lost). Forward Pass thus became the eighth winner forCalumet Farm. Unexpectedly, the regulations at Kentucky thoroughbred race tracks were changed some years later, allowing horses to run onphenylbutazone. In 1970,Diane Crump became the first female jockey to ride in the Derby, finishing 15th aboard Fathom.[39]
The fastest time ever run in the Derby was in1973 at 1:59.4 minutes, whenSecretariat broke the record set byNorthern Dancer in1964. 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 the thoroughbred racing convention of one length equaling one-fifth of a second to calculateSham's time, he also finished in under two minutes. Another sub-two-minute finish, only the third, was set in2001 byMonarchos at 1:59.97, the first year the race used hundredths of seconds instead of fifths in timing.[40]
In 2005, thepurse distribution for the Derby changed, so that horses finishing fifth would henceforth receive a share of the purse; previously only the first four finishers did so.[41]
The Kentucky Derby began offering $3 million in purse money in 2019. Churchill Downs officials have cited the success ofhistorical 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.[42]
In 2020, the Derby was postponed from May 2 to September 5 due to theCOVID-19 pandemic.[43] This was the second time in history the race had been postponed, the other being in1945.[5] Churchill Downs used a new singular 20-stall starting gate for the2020 Kentucky Derby, replacing the previous arrangement that used a standard 14-stall gate and an auxiliary six-stall gate.[44] The old setup contributed to congestion at the start of the race, especially in the gap between the two gates.[44]
Millions of people from around the world bet at various live tracks and online sportsbooks.[46] In 2017, 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% increase compared to the total of $192.6 million in 2016 and an increase of 8% over the previous record set in 2015 of $194.3 million.[47] TwinSpires, 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% increase over the preceding year. On the Kentucky Derby race alone, the handle of TwinSpires was $20.1 million, which is a 22% rise compared to the prior year.[48]
The race often draws celebrities. HMQueen Elizabeth II, on a visit to the United States, joined the racegoers at Churchill Downs in 2007.[49]
The 2004 Kentucky Derby marked the first time that jockeys—as a result of acourt order—were allowed to wear corporate advertisinglogos on their clothing.[50][51]
Norman Adams has been the designer of the Kentucky Derby Logo since 2002. On February 1, 2006, the Louisville-basedfast-food companyYum! Brands, Inc. announced a corporate sponsorship deal to call the race "The Kentucky Derby presented by Yum! Brands."[52] In 2018,Woodford Reserve replaced Yum! Brands as the presenting sponsor.[1]
The Swiss watchmakerLongines is the official sponsor timekeeper of the Kentucky Derby.[53]
In addition to the race itself, several traditions play a significant role in the Derby atmosphere. Themint julep—an iced drink consisting ofbourbon,mint, andsugar 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.[54] Also,burgoo, a thick stew of beef, chicken, pork, and vegetables, is a popular Kentucky dish served at the Derby.[55]
Louisville Clock (often called the Louisville Derby Clock), which was dismantled in 2015
Theinfield—a spectator area inside the track—offers general admission prices but little chance of seeing much of the race, particularly before thejumbotron installation in 2014.[56][57] Instead, revelers show up in the infield to party with abandon. By contrast, "Millionaire's Row" refers to the expensive box seats that attract the rich, the famous and the well-connected. Women appear in elegant outfits lavishly accessorized with large, elaborate hats. Following theCall to the Post played on bugle by Steve Buttleman, as the horses start to parade before the grandstands, theUniversity of Louisville Cardinal Marching Band playsStephen Foster's "My Old Kentucky Home" sung by theUniversity of Louisville Cardinal Singers, except 2020 when the song is played on bugle by Steve Buttleman. This song is a tradition which began in 1921.[58] The event attracts spectators from a large area, flying in hundreds of private aircraft toLouisville International Airport.[59]
The Derby is frequently referred to as "The Run for the Roses", because a lush blanket of 554 redroses is awarded to the Kentucky Derby winner each year.[60] New York sports columnist and future Churchill Downs presidentBill Corum in 1925 began describing the race thusly,[6] but the tradition originated in 1883 when New York City socialiteE. Berry Wall presented roses to ladies at 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.[60] TheGovernor of Kentucky and the Chairman ofChurchill Downs Incorporated present the garland and theKentucky Derby Trophy to the winner. Pop vocalistDan Fogelberg composed the song "Run for the Roses", released in time for the 1980 running of the race.[61]
"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.
In the weeks preceding the race, numerous activities took place for theKentucky 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 at1+1⁄2 miles, the record was 2:34.5, set bySpokane in 1889.
The largest margin of victory is 8 lengths, a feat tied by four different horses:Old Rosebud in 1914,Johnstown in 1939,Whirlaway in 1941, andAssault in 1946.
The highest odds of a winning horse were 91 to 1 forDonerail in 1913. The second-highest odds occurred in 2022, whenRich 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), andMage (2023).[62]
Jockeys, trainers, and owners competing in the Kentucky Derby often will compete in theKentucky 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;" 8 jockeys, 3 trainers, and 5 owners have accomplished this feat:
Winners of the Kentucky Derby can be connected to each other due to the practice ofarranging horse breeding based on their previous success. All of the horses can be traced back to the three foundational sires, withGodolphin Arabian the ancestor of 7 winners,Byerley Turk the ancestor of 11 winners, andDarley Arabian the ancestor of 133 winners, including all winners since 1938.
TheInto Mischief direct sire line has produced 4 of the last 6 Kentucky Derby winners.
TheDarley Arabian (1700c) sire line (all branched through theEclipse (1764) line)[66] produced 133 Derby winners (125 colts, 5 geldings, 3 fillies), including all winners from 1938 to present.[67] The main branches of this sire line are:
theKing Fergus (1775) branch (all branched through theVoltigeur (1847) line), produced 14 winners. His sire line continued primarily through his sonVedette (1854) with 12 winners, due to his sonsSpeculum (1865) with 6 winners (nearly exclusively throughSundridge (1898) with 5 winners, most recentlyCount Turf in1951) andGalopin (1872) with 6 winners (exclusively throughSt. Simon (1881), most recentlyGo For Gin in1994).[68][69][70]
thePotoooooooo (1773) branch[71] produced 119 winners (all branched through theWaxy (1790) line), including all winners from 1995 to present. The primary branch of this sire line is throughWhalebone (1807), which has produced 114 winners. In turn, the primary branch continues throughSir Hercules (1826), which has produced 92 winners (including all winners since 2006), and then theBirdcatcher (1833) branch[72] which produced 80 winners. From Birdcatcher, the branch ofThe Baron (1842) has produced 70 winners, of which 68 winners trace toStockwell (1849).[73] Stockwell's sonDoncaster (1870) siredBend Or (1877), whose sire line accounts for 66 winners.[74] The main branch of the Bend Or sire line continued through his sonBona Vista (1889) with 57 winners, exclusively through thePhalaris (1913) line, which has dominated in the last several decades (including all winners from 2006 to present) through the following sons:[75][76]
theSickle (1924) branch, (24 winners all branched through theNative Dancer (1950) line, nearly exclusively throughRaise a Native (1961) with 23 winners, continued primarily throughMr Prospector (1970) with 16 winners through 8 different sons:Fusaichi Pegasus, winner of the2000 Kentucky Derby, and 7 other sons through their progeny (most recentlyMage in2023, with his sonFappiano (1977) accounting for 6 winners, nearly exclusively through his sonUnbridled with 5 winners, including his win in the1990 Kentucky Derby and 4 other winners (most recentlyAlways Dreaming in2017)).
thePharos (1920) branch (29 winners all branched through theNearco (1935) line, through his sonsRoyal Charger (1942),Nearctic (1954), andNasrullah (1940)), which includes all winners from 2024 to present. The Royal Charger branch (exclusively through his sonTurn-To (1951)) produced 5 winners (most recentlyBarbaro in2006), the Nearctic branch produced 10 winners (including all winners from 2024 to present), exclusively through his sonNorthern Dancer (1961) with his win in the1964 Kentucky Derby, and direct male progeny of 9 winners, including 6 winners through his sonStorm Bird (nearly exclusively through his sonStorm Cat with 5 winners (including all winners from 2024 to present), most recentlySovereignty in2025), while the Nasrullah branch produced 14 winners (most recentlyNyquist in2016) primarily through his sonBold Ruler (1954) with 10 winners (most recentlyCalifornia Chrome in2014).
special notes:
the Waxy (1790) branch produced two main lines: the primary branch of Whalebone (1807), and the secondary branch ofWhisker (1812) which produced 5 winners (exclusively through theKing Tom (1851) line), most recently1909 Kentucky Derby winnerWintergreen.[77]
the Whalebone (1807) branch produced two main lines, the primary branch ofSir Hercules (1826), and the secondary branch ofCamel (1822) (18 winners exclusively through theTouchstone (1831) line), including2005 Kentucky Derby winnerGiacomo through his grandsonOrlando's (1841) branch.[78][79] Since then, each winner of the Kentucky Derby has gone through Whalebone's more frequent sire line branch of Sir Herecules (1826). The Orlando branch (6 winners exclusively through theHimyar (1875) line) is the less common of the two branches derived through Camel. Orlando's brotherNewminster (1848) produced 12 winners (primarily through theHyperion (1930) line with 8 winners), most recentlyChateaugay in1963.[80]
the Sir Hercules (1826) branch produced two main lines: the primary branch of Birdcatcher (1833), and the secondary branch ofFaugh-a-Ballagh (1841) which produced 12 winners (exclusively through theLeamington (1853) line), most recently1908 Kentucky Derby winnerStone Street.[81]
the Birdcatcher (1833) branch produced two main lines: the primary branch of The Baron (1842), and the secondary branch ofOxford (1857) which produced 10 winners (primarily through theSwynford (1907) line with 8 winners, with his sonSt. Germans producing 5 winners), most recently1965 Kentucky Derby winnerLucky Debonair.[82]
the Bend Or (1877) branch produced two main lines: the primary branch of Bona Vista (1889), and the secondary branch ofOrmonde (1883) which produced 8 winners (exclusively through theTeddy (1913) line, with his sonSir Gallahad producing 5 winners, most recentlyHoop Jr. in1945), most recently1957 Kentucky Derby winnerIron Liege.[83]
TheByerley Turk (1680c) sire line[84][85][86] produced 11 winners (8 colts, 3 geldings). The main branches of this sire (all branched through theHerod (1758) line) are:
TheGodolphin Arabian (1724c) sire line[98] produced 7 winners (6 colts, 1 gelding).[67] The main branches of this sire (all branched through theWest Australian (1850) line) are:
theSolon (1861) branch produced 3 winners, including:
^"What is the Derby Festival®? – Our Story".Kentucky Derby Festival.Archived from the original on January 31, 2024. RetrievedJanuary 31, 2024.The Festival blasts off each year with the Opening Ceremonies – Thunder Over Louisville, one of the nation's largest annual fireworks extravaganzas! The ensuing two weeks of excitement and entertainment promise something for everyone.
^Sowers, Richard (2014).The Kentucky Derby, Preakness and Belmont Stakes: A Comprehensive History. Jefferson, North Carolina:McFarland & Company. p. 7.
^"For the Spring Races".Weekly Courier-Journal. March 3, 1875. p. 2. RetrievedNovember 12, 2025.
^"Pointers and Pooling".The Courier-Journal. May 16, 1884. p. 6. RetrievedNovember 12, 2025.
^Ward, Arch (April 30, 1936)."Talking It Over".Chicago Tribune. Archived fromthe original on July 25, 2012. RetrievedMay 5, 2012.(subscription required)
^Fred, Smith (May 1, 1961)."Bluegrass, Bourbon and Burgoo".Sports Illustrated – Vault.Archived from the original on October 27, 2018. RetrievedOctober 26, 2018.
Nicholson, James C. (2012).The Kentucky Derby: How the Run for the Roses Became America's Premier Sporting Event. Lexington, Kentucky: University Press of Kentucky.
