The Kentucky Derby is America’s most prestigious horse race, and it’s one of the most important sporting occasions in the country. It’s also one of the oldest events in the USA, with the first edition of this race having been run in 1875.
In more recent years, interest in the Kentucky Derby has spread beyond the US and into other countries around the world. It’s still a national sporting favorite, but how did the race earn that global appeal?
Save the Date
The 2024 edition of the Kentucky Derby will be held on May 4. It’s traditional for the race to go off on the first Saturday in May, and the organizers have maintained that tradition this year.
Markets for the race have been open for some time, and early Kentucky Derby odds show Sierra Leone as the clear favorite. A significant gap opens from the market leader to a chasing pack that includes Forever Young, Timberlake, Fierceness, Dornoch and Track Phantom.
The verdict is in, and whoever finishes first past the post will be adding their name to a long list of illustrious Kentucky Derby winners.
Established Format
The Kentucky Derby is held annually at Churchill Downs Racecourse in Louisville. It’s a sprint race held over ten furlongs of the track, and the speed of the event leads to one of its established nicknames of “The most exciting two minutes in sport.”
The Derby is for three-year-old thoroughbreds and is open to colts, fillies and geldings subject to weight adjustments. Because of that format, there is no scope for multiple winners of the Kentucky Derby, but the list of previous champions includes some of the finest names in American horse racing.
History Makers
Every horse that wins the Kentucky Derby will own a piece of horse racing history, but some will be remembered longer than others. The most famous winner since 1875 is, undoubtedly, Secretariat, who came home in first place in 1973.
This incredible horse set a new fast time for the event, and more than fifty years later, his record time of one minute, 59.4 seconds still stands.
Secretariat is also one the few winners of US horse racing’s Triple Crown. The treble requires a horse to win the Kentucky Derby, the Preakness Stakes and the Belmont Stakes, all in the same year. It’s a grueling test, and up to 2024, only 13 horses have achieved this milestone.
Along with the incomparable Secretariat, recent winners of the Triple Crown include Seattle Slew, Affirmed, American Pharoah and Justify.
Along with these incredible horses, some top jockeys have left their mark on Kentucky Derby history. Two jockeys are tied at the top of the list of winners with five victories each. Eddie Arcaro and Bill Hartack are the men to beat at the summit. A number of current jockeys are locked on three wins, and Hartack and Arcaro will be in their sights moving forward.
The Growth of the Kentucky Derby
Like all major horse racing meetings, the Kentucky Derby was a modest event when it first started. There would have been little interest outside of the state when Aristides came home as the inaugural winner in 1875.
Over time, interest spread beyond Kentucky and into the rest of the United States. Outside of the country, however, the race attracted little attention. At that time, the UK was the focus of the sport, with established events of its own, such as the Epsom Derby and the Grand National.
In those early days, news was slow to spread. Newspapers were the only available medium, and the Kentucky Derby enjoyed few column inches in the sports section.
Radio and TV broadcasts gradually took over, but the biggest developments have come in the digital age. Horse racing enthusiasts can now access footage of the Kentucky Derby, along with news updates and predictions for future races.
Another major development took place in 2018 when sports betting began to open up around the United States. Interest in the race had already spread beyond the US, but this was another significant factor in the growing appeal of the Kentucky Derby.
That increased level of accessibility has undoubtedly boosted the race’s popularity, but it backs up the interest with high quality horse racing.
A Positive Future
Advances in technology have undoubtedly helped to raise the Kentucky Derby’s global profile, but it would not have succeeded had it not been a world class race. All of the history makers including Secretariat and the others who have won the Triple Crown, have helped to make the event a worldwide phenomenon.
As we head towards the 2024 edition of the race, interest in the Kentucky Derby has never been higher. The race produces a thrilling two minutes of action, and that top class entertainment will ensure a bright future.
