POSTS
(RSS)
Kentucky Derby Facts
With the Kentucky Derby nearly here we thought it would be fun to look at some interesting facts about the Kentucky Derby that we have collected. This year marks the 134th running of the race, and will be held at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky. The race is set up for the top three-year-old horses in the world to do battle and take part in what many consider the “most exciting two-minutes in sports.” The Kentucky Derby is believed by many to be the most prestigious horseracing event of the year. So lets take a look at how the race got started and some fun facts you might not of known about the race itself.The Kentucky Derby was founded in 1875 b Meriwether Lewis Clark. Clark was trying to mimic England’s Epsom Derby. While the event struggled to begin with, it’s easy to see that this event was able to get things turned around and become one of the biggest sporting events of the year. On average there are usually around 155,000 attending the race, and countless millions watching at home on television. Something you might not have known is that for the 21 years the racing distance was 1 ½ miles before being shortened to today’s 1 ¼ miles in 1896. What many of you probably do know is that the Kentucky Derby is the first of three races that make up the Triple Crown. The other two races are the Preakness States and the Belmont Stakes. So far there have been 11 horses to win the Triple Crown, and its something that hasn’t been done since Affirmed was able to do it back in 1978.
Bet on the Horses Using Your Credit Card
The fastest time ever ran at the Kentucky Derby is held by Secretariat who was clocked at an outstanding 1minute 59 2/5 seconds in 1973. Secretariat would go on to back up his performance with wins at the Preakness and Belmont for the Triple Crown.
The most victories at the Kentucky Derby by one jockey is 5. Both Eddie Arcaro and Bill Hartack hold this record.
The official song of the Kentucky Derby is “My Old Kentucky Home” by Stephen Collins Fosters. This song is performed each year before the race, and on a fun side note you can place a Prop bet on just how long this song will take to be played. If you are interested be sure to check out our Prop Betting article or Bodoglife.com.
The Mint Julep is the traditional drink of the Kentucky Derby; it consists of bourbon, mint, and sugar syrup.
I’m sure many of you have heard the Kentucky Derby being called the “Run for the Rose” because of the 554 red roses that are awarded to the winner each year, but what you might not know is just how this tradition got started. Way back in 1883 when E. Berry Wall was presenting roses to ladies at the post-derby party. Well it just so happened that M. Lewis Clark was at this party, and liked the gesture so much that he decided that the rose would be the race’s official flower. It wasn’t until about 15 years later that the Kentucky Derby winner was draped with Roses, that many of us are familiar of seeing happen today.
So there is a quick background and some fun facts to help brighten your knowledge of this historic event. This is a good way to act like you know more about the derby than you actually do. Remember if you are looking to place a bet on this race head over to Superbook and get ready for a good time watching the 2008 Kentucky Derby.
Popularity: 4% [?]
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.