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The Kentucky Derby first took place on May 17, 1875, <\/strong>when the winner was Aristides,<\/strong> a colt who had jockey Oliver Lewis on board. The race was the brainchild of Colonel Meriwether Lewis Clark, who paid a visit to Europe in 1872 where he was a spectator to a number of Europe\u2019s biggest horse races. The colonel was lucky enough to be in the stands for that year\u2019s Epsom Derby in Surrey, England, but then made the short trip to Paris to take in the Grand Prix de Paris at Longchamp as well. Inspired by what he had seen, he returned home to Louisville where, with the help of Louisville Jockey Club, they sourced the necessary finances for a horse racing infrastructure that would include first-class facilities such as those he had seen during his travels. The site that they settled on to build these facilities was, and is still today, Churchill Downs.<\/p>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/li>\n \n \n
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The inaugural racing of the Kentucky Derby was raced over the distance of one and a half miles which, because of their historical links, exactly matched the distance of England\u2019s Derby at Epsom. The first ever Kentucky Derby drew an impressive 10,000 spectators in its first year. The race was trimmed in distance by a quarter of a mile in 1986, when it raced for the first time over one and a quarter miles, which is still its distance today. Over the years, the Kentucky Derby cemented itself as America\u2019s biggest horse race.<\/p>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/li>\n <\/ul>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n
Recent Kentucky Derby Winners<\/h2>\n \n\n\n
Year<\/th> Winner<\/th> Jockey<\/th> Trainer<\/th><\/tr><\/thead> 2022<\/td> Rich Strike<\/td> Sonny Leon<\/td> Eric Reed<\/td><\/tr> 2021<\/td> Mandaloun<\/td> Florent Geroux<\/td> Brad H. Cox<\/td><\/tr> 2020<\/td> Authentic<\/td> John Velazquez<\/td> Bob Baffert<\/td><\/tr> 2019<\/td> Country House<\/td> Flavien Prat<\/td> Bill Mott<\/td><\/tr> 2018<\/td> Justify \t<\/td> Mike E. Smith<\/td> Bob Baffert<\/td><\/tr> 2017<\/td> Always Dreaming<\/td> John Velazquez<\/td> Todd Pletcher<\/td><\/tr> 2016<\/td> Nyquist\t\t<\/td> Mario Gutierrez<\/td> Doug O'Neill<\/td><\/tr> 2015<\/td> American Pharoah <\/td> Victor Espinoza<\/td> Bob Baffert<\/td><\/tr> 2014<\/td> California Chrome <\/td> Victor Espinoza<\/td> Art Sherman<\/td><\/tr> 2013<\/td> Orb <\/td> Joel Rosario<\/td> Claude McGaughey III<\/td><\/tr> 2012<\/td> I'll Have Another <\/td> Mario Gutierrez<\/td> Doug O'Neill<\/td><\/tr> 2011<\/td> Animal Kingdom <\/td> John Velazquez<\/td> H. Graham Motion<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n Kentucky Derby Betting – Key Stats\n <\/h3>\n \n\n\n
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With five wins apiece, Eddie Arcaro and Bill Hartack are the most successful jockeys in Kentucky Derby history.<\/p>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/li>\n
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Ben A. Jones has the most wins by a trainer with six.<\/p>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/li>\n
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Calvin Borel became first jockey to win 3 out of 4 consecutive Kentucky Derbies in 2010.<\/p>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/li>\n
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The second horse to win the Kentucky Derby despite never running as a two-year-old was Justify who won in 2018. The first being Apollo in 1882.<\/p>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/li>\n
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The 2019 renewal proved controversial as Maximum Security was disqualified leaving Country House as the winner.<\/p>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/li>\n
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Over its modern distance, the race\u2019s record time of 2 minutes 35 seconds was set by Spokane in 1989.<\/p>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/li>\n <\/ul>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n
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