Kentucky Derby Blog

In order to win the Triple Crown, however, a thoroughbred horse would have to win three of the biggest stakes races in the world: the Kentucky Derby, which takes place annually on the first Saturday in May at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky; the Preakness Stakes, which takes place annually on the third Saturday of May at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Maryland; and the Belmont Stakes, which takes place every year in early June at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York.

Here is the 2008 Triple Crown Schedule.

Kentucky Derby 2008
Racetrack: Churchill Downs, Louisville, Kentucky
Date: May 3, 2008
TV Coverage: NBC

Preakness Stakes 2008
Racetrack: Pimlico Race Course
Date: May 17, 2008, Laurel, MD

Belmont Stakes 2008
Racetrack: Belmont Park
Date: June 7, 2008, Elmont, NY

Kentucky Derby 2008, kentucky derby schedule

Ladies in hats at the Kentucky Derby is a tradition that is probably as old as the Derby itself. From small and tasteful to large and frilly, you will see hats in all colors of the rainbow on women of all ages. Often they are together in groups and sometimes even the guys get into the act! Read more about the history of the Churchill Downs hat parade.






derby hats

Being one of the more stylish sporting events of the year, it is important to know what attire is acceptable when attending the Kentucky Derby.

Business casual is required for the Jockey Club and Finish Line suites, Aristides & Stakes rooms, and the Turf Club.

Business casual is best described as the following:

* Jackets and Blazers
* Vests, collard shirts, and sweaters
* Dresses
* Pantsuits
* Slacks

Denim, jeans, shorts and tennis shoes are not allowed.

Check out what celebrities were wearing at the Derby.

- The phrase “Run for the Roses” was coined by New York sports columnist Bill Corum, who would later become president of Churchill Downs.

- The Kentucky Derby trophy is made of 56 ounces of 14 and 18 carat gold, and is two feet tall.

- Churchill Downs opened on May 17, 1875 and the very first race was won by a horse named Bonaventure. The featured race’s winner was a 3 year-old chestnut colt named Aristides.

- In 1969, Diane Crump became the first woman to ride in the Kentucky Derby and the first to ride in a pari-mutuel race in North America.

- The horseshoe atop the Kentucky Derby was originally pointing down, and was turned 180 degrees to point upward in 1924.

- Racing silks were adopted in order to distinguish jockeys and horses from one another.

- “My Old Kentucky Home”, the song played when the horse are led onto the field, has been played by University of Louisville Marching Band since 1936.

- Early Times is the official Kentucky whiskey used to make Mint Juleps at the Kentucky Derby.

- Many celebrities have owned horses that have run in the Derby, including Steven Speilberg, George Steinbrenner and Burt Bacharach.

- The Garland of Roses, presented to the winner of the Kentucky Derby, has been shipped to Danville, Kentucky to be freeze-dried since 1996. Some owners even save a rose in order to dip it in silver for preservation.

- The Derby was nationally telecast for the first time on May 3, 1952 on a CBS affiliate.

- In 1896, the Derby was shortened from 1 ½ miles to 1 ¼ miles because it was thought that the distance was too long for 3 year-old colts to run in the spring.

- 12 Kentucky Derby winners have sired other Kentucky Derby winners, with Bold Venture actually siring two.

- There has never been a winner to come out of post position #15.

- The fastest Derby run was by Secretariat in 1973, at 1:59.40. The slowest run was by Stone Street in 1908, at 2:15.20.

my old kentucky home, kentucky derby

The Thoroughbred Corp.’s recent acquisition, War Emblem, took advantage of a paceless beginning to Kentucky Derby (GI) 128 and scored a front-running, wire-to-wire victory in the first leg of the 2002 Visa Triple Crown. A dark bay or brown son of Our Emblem and the Lord At War mare Sweetest Lady, War Emblem took command from the opening bell under Southern California-based jockey Victor Espinoza, who won his first Kentucky Derby, and never looked back, covering the mile and quarter distance of the Derby in 2:01.13 over a “fast” track at Churchill Downs. He was bred in Kentucky by Charles Nuckols Jr. & Sons.

Pgm  Horse              Jockey            Win   Place  Show 5   War Emblem         Espinoza        43.00   22.80 13.6013   Proud Citizen      Smith                   24.60 13.40 3   Perfect Drift      Delahoussaye                   6.40

Winning Time:  2:01.13

$2 Exacta 5-13        1,300.80$2 Trifecta 5-13-3   18,378.20

kentucky derby results, kentucky derby 2002

Cool and sunny weather brought out a crowd of 148,530 for the 129th running of Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs. Although the day started off good for trainer Bobby Frankel, winning three of the undercard graded stakes and finishing second in another, he missed the big one. New York bred gelding Funny Cide was the upset winner with Frankel’s two entrants, Empire Maker and Peace Rules, finishing second and third. Funny Cide is the first gelding to win the Derby since Clyde Van Dusen in 1929 and the first New York bred ever.

Pgm  Horse              Jockey            Win   Place  Show 6   Funny Cide         Santos          27.60   12.40  8.2012   Empire Maker       Bailey                   5.80  4.40 5   Peace Rules        Prado                          6.00

Winning Time:  2:01.19

$2 Exacta 6-12             97.00$2 Trifecta 6-12-5        664.80$1 Superfecta 6-12-5-4  2,795.80$1 Oaks/Derby Double      421.80$2 Future Wager Poo1 1    188.00$2 Future Wager Poo1 2    120.80$2 Future Wager Poo1 3    107.40

kentucky derby results, kentucky derby 2003

Throughout the spring he had outrun a sprinter’s pedigree and his critics and, on Kentucky Derby Day, Smarty Jones outran a field of the nation’s finest 3-year-olds and all of his doubters.

Kentucky Derby 130 Attendance: 140,054

Pgm  Horse              Jockey         Win   Place  Show15   Smarty Jones       Elliott      10.20    6.20  4.80 3   Lion Heart         Smith                 8.20  5.8010   Imperialism        Desormeaux                  6.20

Winning Time:  2:04.06

$2 Exacta 15-3               65.20$2 Trifecta 15-3-10         987.60$2 Superfecta 15-3-10-1  41,380.20

kentucky derby logo, kentucky derby 2004