Kentucky Derby Fast Facts

Editor’s Note: This page has been retired and is no longer being updated.

Here’s a look at the Kentucky Derby. The Derby is traditionally run on the first Saturday in May at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky.

May 7, 2022 - Rich Strike wins the 148th running of the Kentucky Derby. The horse entered the race at 80-1 odds - the biggest long-shot in the 20-horse field.

May 1, 2021 - Medina Spirit wins the 147th running of the Kentucky Derby. The colt was trained by the legendary Bob Baffert, who becomes the winningest trainer in the history of the Derby with his seventh victory. Just over a week later, Baffert reveals the horse has tested positive for elevated levels of betamethasone. On February 21, 2022, the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission announces that Medina Spirit’s victory has been disqualified and that Baffert is receiving a suspension and fine. Churchill Downs announces second-place finisher Mandaloun is recognized as the winner.

Facts

The Derby is the first race in horse racing’s coveted Triple Crown, which also includes the Preakness Stakes and the Belmont Stakes.

The race is known as “The Greatest Two Minutes in Sports” for its approximate run time. The Derby is also referred to as “The Run for the Roses” due to the garland of 554 red roses draped over the winner.

Competing horses are 3 years of age.

The mint julep is the traditional beverage of Churchill Downs and the Kentucky Derby.

Approximately 120,000 mint juleps are served annually during the two-day period of the Kentucky Oaks and Kentucky Derby.

Only three fillies have won the Derby: Regret (1915), Genuine Risk (1980) and Winning Colors (1988).

No Derby has ever been postponed or canceled because of rain or bad weather.

Timeline

May 17, 1875 - The first Kentucky Derby is held. The winner is Aristides, a 3-year-old chestnut colt, beating 14 other horses.

1892 - Only three horses run the race, making it the smallest field ever for a Kentucky Derby.

1896 - The race distance is reduced from 1.5 miles to its present 1.25 miles.

1925 - NY Journal-American writer Bill Corum coins the phrase “run for the roses.”

1945 - The race is postponed to June 9 due to a horse racing ban during World War II.

May 3, 1952 - The Kentucky Derby is televised nationally for the first time.

1956 - The first Kentucky Derby Festival is held. This annual event runs for the two weeks preceding the actual races.

1968 - Dancer’s Image wins but fails a drug test and is disqualified. Second-place finisher Forward Pass is named the winner.

1973 - Secretariat wins with a time of 1:59 minutes, setting the record for the fastest time.

May 3, 2008 - Shortly after winner Big Brown crosses the finish line, second place finisher Eight Belles suffers fractures in both front legs and falls to the ground. Due to the severity of the injuries, the filly is euthanized on the track.

May 5, 2018 - The 144th Kentucky Derby sets a record as the wettest in Derby history with 3.15 inches of rain.

May 4, 2019 - The 145th Kentucky Derby takes place. Country House crosses the finish line second but is declared the winner after Maximum Security is disqualified for interference. It is the first time a Derby winner has been disqualified because of a foul on the track.

March 17, 2020 - Churchill Downs confirms that the Kentucky Derby has been postponed from May 2 to September 5 due to the coronavirus pandemic.

February 21, 2022 - The Kentucky Horse Racing Commission announces that Medina Spirit’s 2021 victory has been disqualified after failing a drug test, and that Baffert is receiving a suspension and fine.

Fashion through the decades —

As the 2016 Kentucky Derby kicks off, we take a look at some of the most eye-catching fashions through the decades.

Early days —

The Derby first launched in 1875, and up until the turn of the 20th century women could be seen wearing hats, gloves, and long dresses down to their ankles.
"At any social outing in America at that time, you would have worn a hat and gloves -- and the Kentucky Derby was no different," said Chris Goodlet, Curator of Collections at the Kentucky Derby Museum.
"Many women would have worn silk because of the warm weather, and be carrying a parasol."
This image features race-goers in 1926.

1929 —

In the 1920s, women would also been seen wearing tailored suits. Hats and gloves were still in vogue.

1938 —

Suits continued to be the outfit of choice for both men and women in the 1930s.
"In fact, in the 1930s and 1940s the formal suit seemed to be more popular than the dress," said the Kentucky Derby on its website.

Look closer in the top left of this 1940 image, and you'll see a race in action.

1954 —

The 1950s saw women wear a more princess-style dress, with billowing skirts and fitted waists.

1966 —

In the 1960s, hemlines were on the rise. Meanwhile, on the other side of the globe at Australia's Melbourne Cup, model Jean Shrimpton was causing a stir in a miniskirt that "stopped the nation."
"By the time you get to the 1960s wearing hats was no longer typical," said Goodlet.
"But the Derby keeps this tradition -- even when other social occasions don't."

1970 —

Would you believe it. This couple aren't wearing hats or gloves, and the woman's dress hemline is a good few inches above her knees! Welcome to the 1970s.

1988 —

In the 1980s, the bigger the better. Big hat brims, big shoulder pads, and judging by this race-goer, a big smile.

1988 —

Bold prints and multi-colored suits make the 1980s a fashion decade to remember.

1989 —

"In the 1970s and 1980s there was a return to the longer skirt, while the same casual attitude of the 1960s was still in place," said the Kentucky Derby website.

1992 —

"In the 1990s, the dress at the Derby continued to replace the suit, especially with younger women," added the Derby website.
"While gloves have become out of fashion, a hat never is, and the hats tend to get wilder and more expensive as the years go on."

1993 —

We'll never know if their horse won. But the pink and pearls combo is a 1990s winner.

1993 —

"The style in the infield is relaxed, with women wearing cool sundresses, cotton skirts, or more frequently shorts," said the Derby website of 1990s styles.

2002 —

The 21st century is here. And the tradition of race-goers making their own fantastical hats which started in the 1960s, continues to this day.

2010 to 2012 —

Feminine, wide-brimmed hats with a floral or feather adornment were popular in the 2010s.

2012 —

A colorful crowd at the 2012 Derby.

2014 —

Two years later the hats appear to have downsized.

2015 —

Race-goers analyze programs at last year's Derby.

2015 —

Nicknamed the "Run for the Roses" due to the blanket of roses draped on the winning jockey, the Derby has long inspired red accessories among race-goers.

2015 —

And after a long day of placing bets, cheering horses, and drinking mint juleps, sometimes you just want to put your fashionable feet up.

Kentucky Derby: Fashion through the decades

Prev Next