Derby Details

The upcoming Kentucky Derby, always run the first Saturday in May, is the most famous horserace in the world. More than 150,000 spectators attend the event at Churchill Downs in Louisville, KY, watching the planet’s finest 3-year-olds vie for the roses and a shot at the elusive Triple Crown. (The Preakness and Belmont Stakes are run later in the spring.) The derby is rich in history and lore. Among the more interesting facts:

* Meriwether Lewis Clark, grandson of famous explorer William Clark, started the Kentucky Derby in 1875.
* The racecourse originally was a mile-and-a-half long but later was cut to a mile-and-a-quarter (the shortest of the Triple Crown races).
* The first horse to win the derby was Aristides; the most recent was Smarty Jones.
* The fastest time recorded at the derby was Secretariat’s winning run of a fraction under two minutes in 1973.
* The first horse to win the Triple Crown was Sir Barton in 1919; only 11 horses have accomplished the feat.