More Kentucky Derby Information

But all that exists because of the Derby. The Kentucky Derby began in 1875. The horses are 3-year old thoroughbreds. The track at Churchill Downs is a mile and a quarter in length. It is the first event of the illustrious Triple Crown of thoroughbred horseracing, the second being the Preakness and the third, the Belmont Stakes. In 1973, a record was set by an incredible horse named Secretariat: the fastest Derby ever run at 1 minute 59 2/5 seconds. Those are facts. Yet it is the unpredictable that is the reason for a horse race like the 2005 victory of Giacomo, a 50 to 1 shot! Who knows what you will see when you witness the 134th running of the Kentucky Derby on May 3, 2008?

The Derby was first broadcast on the radio in 1931, and back in the 1930s admission to the park was only fifty cents. Since 1952 the race has been televised, and the audience now is a global one. Yet even as many things have changed in thoroughbred horse racing, the traditions have remained. It is still the tradition of many families to attend the Kentucky Derby, the ladies displaying their hats; they bet on the horses and marvel at the strength and beauty of the animals brought there to compete. Join them, and as millions around the world watch on their television screens, you'll love being there in the stands, on your feet for the singing of 'My Old Kentucky Home,' a mint julep in your hand, waiting for the moment when the bugler sounds the 'Call to the Post.' And they're off!