May 17, 1875: The 1st Kentucky Derby

May 17, 1875, 150 years ago: The 1st Kentucky Derby is run, at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky. It was a mile and a half, with 15 horses, 13 of whom were ridden by black men. The winning horse, by 2 lengths, was named Aristides, in 2 minutes, 37.75 seconds. His jockey, Oliver Lewis, then 19, was black. (Lewis lived until 1924, not quite to the 50th Anniversary of the event.)

The Derby has been run every year since, usually on the 1st Saturday in May. (The 1875 race was on a Monday.) In 1896, the length of the race was shortened to a mile and a quarter, which it has remained ever since. It became the 1st leg of the "Triple Crown" of American thoroughbred racing, along with the Preakness Stakes in Baltimore, held on the 3rd Saturday in May; and the Belmont Stakes, just outside New York City, held on the 1st Saturday in June.

Churchill Downs was built in 1875, by Colonel Meriwether Lewis Clark Jr., grandson of explorer William Clark. It was built on land leased to them by his uncles, John and Henry Churchill. The famous twin spires were built in 1895. In 2005, luxury boxes were built. This "Millionaire's Row" now dwarfs the spires, and ruins the perspective of one of the most historic sports venues in America. The grandstand seats about 50,000 people. Only on Derby Day is the infield opened, giving it a seating capacity of 170,000.

The Kentucky Derby -- and, in America, if someone says simply "The Derby," this is what they mean -- is billed as "The Most Exciting Two Minutes in Sports." Two horses have won it in less than 2 minutes: Secretariat in 1973, in 1:59 and 2/5ths (traditionally, the Triple Crown races were measured in fifths of a second); and Monarchos, in 2001, just under, in 1:59.97.

Every horse in the race was born 3 calendar years before. Every horse carries exactly 126 pounds, including the jockey. If the jockey weighs more than 126 pounds, he is disqualified from the race. If he weighs less than 126, weights are added to the horse, so that every horse, at least in theory, is equal.

Every year since 1932 -- when the Derby became the 1st sporting event ever broadcast live on radio around the world, and Burgoo King, named for a local stew, won it -- The Governor of Kentucky and the Chairman of Churchill Downs, Inc. present the winning horse with a blanket of 554 red roses. Hence, the race is nicknamed "The Run for the Roses."

1997 Winners Silver Charm and Gary Stevens, with the garland

The Preakness is "The Run for the Black-Eyed Susans." The Belmont is "The Run for the Carnations." Los Angeles Times sports columnist Jim Murray had lost some friends to fatal crashes at the Indianapolis 500, and called America's most famous auto race "The Run for the Lilies," as in the flowers often seen at funerals. He also turned the traditional introduction, "Gentlemen, start your engines!" into, "Gentlemen, start your coffins!"

Among the traditions of the Derby are dressing up, including women wearing the fanciest hats this side of a British royal wedding; the drinking of mint juleps, an iced drink of bourbon, mint and sugar syrup, introduced at the 1938 Derby; and the singing of "My Old Kentucky Home," the State Song, written in 1852 by Stephen Foster.

(According to the International Bartenders' Association, this is the official recipe for a mint julep: 2 fluid ounces of bourbon whiskey, 4 mint sprigs, 1 teaspoon of powdered sugar, and 2 teaspoons of water, served over crushed ice.)

Eddie Arcaro won 5 Kentucky Derbies as a jockey: 1938 aboard Lawrin, 1941 aboard Whirlaway, 1945 aboard Hoop Jr., 1948 aboard Citation, and 1952 about Hill Gail. That record was tied by Bill Hartack: 1957 aboard Iron Liege, 1960 aboard Venetian Way, 1962 aboard Decidedly, 1964 aboard Northern Dancer, and 1969 aboard Majestic Prince. But it has never been broken.

Ben A. Jones trained 6 winners, between 1938 and 1952. That record hasn't been broken, but it has been tied by Bob Baffert, between 1997 and 2020. Calumet Farm is the leading owner, with 8 wins, from 1941 to 1968.

The longest shot to win the race has been Donerail, 91-1 in 1913. Since then, the longest has been Rich Strike, 80-1 in 2022. Three fillies have won: Regret in 1915, Genuine Risk in 1980, Winning Colors in 1988.

The Kentucky Derby is the oldest continuously-run professional sporting event in America. It was not suspended for World War I. It was not suspended for the Great Depression. It was not suspended for World War II. The Indianapolis 500 can be delayed by rain, but if it rains on Derby Day, the race is run on the sloppy track, anyway. Even in 2020, when COVID restrictions meant that it couldn't be run on May 2, it was postponed to the 1st Saturday of another month, September 5. The winner was named Authentic.