Replete with pageantry, the Kentucky Derby has evolved into much more than a horse race since 10,000 people first watched 15 horses compete on a dirt track in Louisville, Kentucky, in 1875.
Known as “the most exciting two minutes in sports,” the 152nd Kentucky Derby will run May 2, bringing 150,000 spectators to Churchill Downs, the same track where the tradition began a century and a half ago.
Rich traditions
A “social event” that encourages “whimsical fashion” is how Kentucky Derby Museum curator Chris Goodlett describes the race. Women wear wide-brimmed, feathered hats and pastel dresses. Men sport light-colored suits and derby hats. The mint julep, made with Kentucky bourbon, is the derby’s official drink.
Festivities fill the two weeks leading up to the derby with galas, fireworks and other horse races. Anticipation for the big event culminates with a bugle call 10 minutes before start time, bringing the race’s 20 competitors to the track. As jockeys lead the thoroughbreds to the starting gate, the crowd stands and sings “My Old Kentucky Home.”
Birthplace of legends
The victorious horse ceremoniously trots to the winner’s circle where a 14-karat gold trophy and rose garland await. Secretariat’s winning run in 1973 set a race record that still stands. Only one other horse has broken the two-minute mark in the 1.25-mile (2-kilometer) race.
The first of three races that form America’s Triple Crown of horse racing, the derby runs the first Saturday of May. The Preakness Stakes in Maryland follows in mid-May, and New York’s Belmont Stakes runs in early June. Only 13 horses have taken the famed Triple Crown — winning all three races in the same year. The most recent, Justify, achieved the rare feat in 2018.
Secretariat, Seattle Slew and Sir Barton are among the horses that achieved folklore status after winning the Kentucky Derby on the way to the Triple Crown. Most derby winners go on to become breeder horses with some enjoying retirement at the Kentucky Horse Park , a sanctuary and museum that celebrates the Kentucky Bluegrass region’s love for horses.
Canadian Bred Horses That Won The Kentucky Derby
Winning a global audience
The derby’s rich history grew from American entrepreneur Meriwether Lewis Clark Jr.’s 1872 visit to England’s Epsom Derby. The race inspired Clark to start the Kentucky Derby in Louisville three years later.
By the mid-20th century, the Kentucky Derby outpaced all other U.S. horse races in attendance and prestige. The 2025 Kentucky Derby was broadcast to 170 countries and territories, and total viewership continues to grow.
Goodlett, the museum curator, says the derby’s reputation as a national cultural event has helped drive its popularity outside the United States. Queen Elizabeth II attended the derby with her husband Prince Philip in 2007.
President Trump, who has attended the Kentucky Derby, calls the race “an iconic American institution and an elegant celebration of our culture, customs, and unwavering competitive spirit.”
This article via Brandon Lambert and our friends at U.S. Dept of State.
