Kentucky Derby, the most prestigious American horse race, established in 1875 and run annually on the first Saturday in May at Churchill Downs racetrack, Louisville, Kentucky. With the Preakness Stakes (run in mid-May) and the Belmont Stakes (early in June), it makes up American Thoroughbred racing’s coveted Triple Crown. The Derby field is limited to three-year-olds and, since 1975, to 20 horses; fillies carry 121 pounds (55 kg) and colts 126 pounds (57 kg). The race distance was reduced in 1896 from 1.5 miles (about 2,400 metres) to its present 1.25 miles (about 2,000 metres). In the early 21st century it was one of the most popular single-day spectator events in the world, attracting some 150,000 spectators to Churchill Downs annually.
The Kentucky Derby is one of dozens of “Derbies”—a term that dates to the 18th century and is used, typically, to describe a race for three-year-old horses—contested annually in the United States and around the world. It is Kentucky—along with its associated mythology, imagery, and history—that makes the Kentucky Derby special. Kentucky’s reputation as a place uniquely suited to producing top racehorses because of its natural abundance can be traced as far back as 1784, when John Filson published The Discovery, Settlement, and Present State of Kentucke. Although horses did not figure prominently in his book, Filson described in glowing terms the landscape, climate, and natural resources of what are now the eastern and central parts of the state.
The history of horse racing in Louisville predates Kentucky’s admission to the United States, in 1792, by about a decade: from at least 1783, problems associated with open racing in the downtown area led city leaders to promote the construction of formal racetracks. Continue reading at Britannica
