GENERAL INFORMATION AND HISTORY TIMELINE (CONDENSED)
The Kentucky Derby is a Grade 1 Stakes race for 3-year-old thoroughbred horses. It is held annually in Louisville, Kentucky on the 1st Saturday in May, as it caps out the 2-week Kentucky Derby Festival. The race is 1-1/4 miles and is held at Churchill Downs, and is also known in the US as "The Most Exiting Two Minutes in Sports" (for the approximate duration) and "The Run for the Roses" (for the blanket of roses draped over the winner). It also happens to be the 1st leg of the Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing in the United States.
Kentucky has been a major center for horsebreeding since the 18th century, with the Bluegrass region being noted for producing superior horses. It was due to this reason that an interest in bringing horseracing to the area was sparked.
Col. Meriwether Lewis Clark, Jr. at Churchill Downs
1872 - Col. Meriwether Lewis Clark, Jr. (grandson of William Clark of the Lewis and Clark Expedition) traveled to England and France to study and learn the "business" of horseracing. He attended the Epson Derby in England and, then, visited with the French Jockey Club which had organized The Grand Prix de Paris. When he returned home, he organized the Louisville Jockey Club for the purpose of raising money to build a racing facility.
The track was known as Churchill Downs, named for Clark's relatives, John and Henry Churchill who had provided the land for the racetrack.
Oliver Lewis
May 17, 1875 - Before an estimated 10,000 people, 15 3-year-old horses ran in the first Kentucky Derby. The 1.5 mile race's first winners were African American jockey Oliver Lewis and Aristides.
"Lonnie" Clayton
Between 1875 and 1902, African-American jockeys won 15 of 28 runnings of the Kentucky Derby. One of the most popular and famous was Alonzo "Lonnie" Clayton (age 15), who became the youngest rider to win the Derby in 1892.
1883 - New York socialite, E. Barry Wall, presented roses to all the ladies at a post-Derby party that was attended by Churchill Downs founder and president, Col. Meriwether Clark, Jr., which resulted in the decision to make roses the official flowers of the Kentucky Derby.
1894 - The New Louisville Jockey Club was incorporated.
1896 - The race was extended from 1.5 miles to 1.25 miles. Also, the governor of Kentucky draped the first garland of roses on the winning horse.
1902 - In spite of annual running of the Derby, the business of horseracing at Churchill Downs was floundering. In this year, Matt J. Winn put together a syndicate of businesses that acquired the facility. By 1818/19 Churchill Downs prospered and the Kentucky Derby became the preeminent thoroughbred race in America.
1904 - The race was won by Elwood, the first horse ever bred and owned by a woman.
Kentucky Derby winner, Regret
1915 - Regret was the first filly to win the Derby.
1917 - Omar Khayyem was the first foreign-bred horse to win the Derby. (English bred)
Sir Barton
1919 - Long before now, it had become common for owners to send successful Derby winners to compete in the Preakness Stakes and the Belmont Stakes. In this year, Sir Barton became the first horse to win all three of the races.
1930 - When Gallant Fox became the second horse to win all three races, sportswriter Charles Hatton coined the phrase "Triple Crown" to represent all three races.
Burgoo King
1931 - A blanket of roses was designed by Mrs. Kingsley Walker. The first such blanket was awarded to and draped on Burgoo King, winner of the 1932 Kentucky Derby.
1932 - The Kentucky Derby, which had always been held in mid-May, took place on the first Saturday of May for better scheduling for the Triple Crown racers.
1952 - The Kentucky Derby was shown on television for the first time.
1968 - Dancer's Image became the first winner to be disqualified, due to the discovery of certain forbidden drugs in the horse's system).
Diane Crump
1970 - Diane Crump became the first woman jockey in the Kentucky Derby.
Secretariat
1973 - The fastest Kentucky Derby ever run was won by Secretariat in 1 minute, 59-2/5 seconds.
2004 - Jockeys wore corporate advertising logos on their clothing for the first time.
2005 - Purse distributions were always made to the first four horses to reach the finish line. This was the first year that the distribution was expanded to the first five horses to reach the line.
(Learn about some Kentucky Derby traditions in Part 2.)
3 comments on Churchill Down & The Kentucky Derby - Part 1
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Sorry, I missed this one. Another good post.
Oh, thank you. I think this was posted when the notifications feature wasn't working, which would explain why it got missed.
Nice blog. Just stumbled across it. Mrs. Kingsley Walker was my great grandmother. My mother and grandmother both worked on the rose blanket with her at times, in their flower shop. Nice to see her name carried on as part of the tradition -- much to the dismay of Kroger, who slaps their name everywhere imaginable.
Thanks,
Adam Krupp