Kentucky Derby Fun Facts

Happy Derby Week! The city of Louisville is buzzing ahead of the 149th running of the Kentucky Derby. Before the handicapping begins with the post position draw this afternoon, become the smartest person at your Derby party with a few fun facts about the biggest day in horse racing.

The First Kentucky Derby

You can thank Lewis and Clark for your weekend of Mint Juleps. A grandson of the famous explorer and Missouri governor, Meriwether Lewis Clark Jr., is responsible for the creation of Churchill Downs at the Kentucky Derby. The land was donated by his uncles, John and Henry Churchill, who invested in Clark’s dream, bringing about 10,000 spectators to the first Kentucky Derby in 1875.

The first Kentucky Derby winner, Aristides, received a purse of $2,850 for winning the mile and a half race. Volcano, the second-place finisher, received $200. This year’s winner will earn a $1.86 million payout for the $3 million purse.

Biggest Kentucky Derby Upsets

There have been plenty of fantastic upsets over the last 15 years, but it will be hard to ever top Donerail. At 91-1, a $2 win bet on the 1913 Kentucky Derby winner paid $184.90. A few other notable long shots:

• 1999, Charismatic: 31-1
• 2005, Giacomo: 50-1
• 2009, Mine That Bird: 50-1
• 2019, Country House: 65-1, via disqualification
• 2022, Rich Strike, 80-1

Long shots have a shot to win because of the nature of the race. It’s the longest race of any 3-year-old horse’s career in a field of 20, the maximum amount of horses that can participate in a North American horse race.

Don’t be Grey

Only eight grey horses have won the Kentucky Derby. This year Tapit Trice will try to make that nine grey winners as the race’s second choice.

Three fillies have won the race: Regret in 1915, Genuine Risk in 1980, and Winning Colors in 1988. Only six geldings (the fancy word used for castrated male horses) have won the Kentucky Derby, most recently Mine That Bird and Funny Cide.

No horses with names beginning with Q, X, or Y have ever won the Kentucky Derby. Horses that begin with the letter S have won the race 19 times. A horse has never won the Kentucky Derby from starting post No. 17.

Kentucky Derby on TV and Radio

The 50th anniversary of the Kentucky Derby was heard across the world. WHAS carried the first ever live radio broadcast of the race at Churchill Downs in 1925, which was also carried by WGN. A little more than two decades later the race was broadcasted on television for the first time. Hill Gail won the 1952 run for the roses.

Historic Jockeys and Trainers

Speaking of Hill Gail, that was the final of five Kentucky Derby wins by Eddie Arcaro, who also rode Whirlaway and Citation to Triple Crown victories. He’s tied with Bill Hartack, who claimed his five victories from 1957-69. Bill Shoemaker has the most mounts, riding in the Kentucky Derby 26 times and winning four. He was 54 when he rode Ferdinand to victory in 1986, the oldest winning jockey in the race’s history. Four active jockeys have won the race three times: Johnny Velazquez, Victor Espinoza, Calvin Borel and Kent Desormeaux.

Diane Crump was the first female jockey to ride in the race in 1970. Her horse, Fathom, finished 15th out of 17. Six women have rode in the Kentucky Derby, most recently Rosie Napravnik in 2013.

As for the trainers, Ben Jones has the most wins, tallying six from 1938-1952. Bob Baffert briefly surpassed Jones, until Medina Spirit was disqualified for a failed drug test in 2021. Baffert is still serving a suspension, sidelined from entering horses in this year’s race.

Two-Minute Milestone

The Kentucky Derby is known as the fastest two minutes in sports. Only two winners have covered the 1 1/4 miles in under two minutes, Monarchos in 2001 and Secretariat in 1973. Fifty years after Big Red ran the race in 1:59 2/5, the record still stands. Sham, who finished second to Secretariat by 2 1/2 lengths, also beat the 2-minute milestone.