racing

The Jury: Expert Picks, Bets, and Fades for Sept. 13 [VIDEO]

Thu Sep 11 2025TwinSpires Staff

Turf racing at Churchill Downs

Tipsheet: 2025 Iroquois Stakes

Thu Sep 11 2025John Mucciolo

Nothing Personal wins at Colonial Downs.

Meet the Contenders: 2025 Iroquois Stakes

Thu Sep 11 2025TwinSpires Staff

Sometime (Inside) and Magic Wallet (Outside) has a dead heat at Colonial Downs.

POPULAR ARTICLES

Kentucky Derby Maiden Watch: Boyd impresses in Del Mar debut
Kentucky Derby Maiden Watch: Check out Kristofferson, Talkin

VIDEOS

LATEST

Sometime (Inside) and Magic Wallet (Outside) has a dead heat at Colonial Downs.

xSometime (Inside) and Magic Wallet (Outside) has a dead heat at Colonial Downs. (Photo by Coady Media)

Meet the Contenders: 2025 Iroquois Stakes

Thu Sep 11 2025TwinSpires Staff

Meet the horses running in the 2025 Iroquois S. (G3) at Churchill Downs.

Analysis

Boyd winning his debut at Del Mar

Boyd winning his debut at Del Mar (Photo by Benoit Photo)

Kentucky Derby Maiden Watch: Boyd impresses in Del Mar debut

Tue Sep 09 2025J. Keeler Johnson

After a busy summer of racing, the Del Mar meet wrapped up on Sunday. Among the most notable winners on closing day was a talented two-year-old named Boyd.

Racing

Talkin breaking his maiden at Saratoga.

Talkin breaking his maiden at Saratoga. (Photo by Coglianese Photos)

Kentucky Derby Maiden Watch: Check out Kristofferson, Talkin

Wed Sep 03 2025J. Keeler Johnson

Kentucky Derby Maiden Watch scours racing results from coast to coast to bring you 2026 Kentucky Derby contenders before they reach the spotlight.

Racing

Tall Tales of the Track: Bug Boys Get It Done for Father & Son

Tue Aug 19 2025Jennifer Kelly

Ira Hanford and Bill Boland share a unique connection: not only were these two riders ‘bug boys’ when they won the Kentucky Derby, but their mounts were sire and son, making these winners singular in the annals of the history of the Run for the Roses.

Racing

Secretariat after his win in the 1973 Kentucky Derby. (Photo courtesy of the Kentucky Derby/Churchill Downs)

Five unbreakable Kentucky Derby records

Thu Jul 31 2025Josh Powell

We examine five unbeatable Kentucky Derby records as the world gears up for "the most exciting two minutes in sports."

Racing

Tall Tales of the Track: Unexpected Glory

Fri Jul 18 2025Jennifer Kelly

Needing a big win to get him back on track, Sande sought a mount for the 1925 Kentucky Derby, but came up empty until he found that Gifford Cochran's Flying Ebony needed a rider. What happened next etched Flying Ebony’s name in the Run for the Roses’ record books.

Kentucky Derby

Mindframe wins the Stephen Foster Stakes at Churchill Downs.

Mindframe wins the Stephen Foster Stakes at Churchill Downs. (Photo by Coady Media / Credit to Rick Bailey)

Racing Roundtable: Farewell to D. Wayne Lukas and recapping Stephen Foster Day

Tue Jul 01 2025TwinSpires Staff

This week, the Racing Roundtable is more a debate than a forum as James Scully and Vance Hanson alone hash out the events and major races of the past weekend.

Racing

Grand Canyon wins the Oak Tree's Norfolk Stakes.

Grand Canyon wins the Oak Tree's Norfolk Stakes.(Photo by Four Footed Fotos)

D. Wayne Lukas: One horse that could have been his best

Mon Jun 30 2025Vance Hanson

D. Wayne Lukas consistently reached new levels, sometimes many times over, but a few of us will always remember Grand Canyon as the player who might have defined the coach's entire career.

Racing

Before the Winner’s Circle and Hall of Fame, D. Wayne Lukas Was a Boy with a Horse

Mon Jun 30 2025Jennifer Kelly

Over the course of his long Hall of Fame career, Lukas built a reputation as one of the sport’s greatest trainers, with nearly 5,000 wins and a long list of champions, but how did this small-town boy become the Coach? The answer lies in Lukas’s earliest years as a boy, with an innate sense of how to get the best of an athlete, human or equine.

Racing

Timber Country, with Pat Day aboard, wins the 1994 Breeders' Cup Juvenile

Timber Country, shown winning the 1994 Breeders' Cup Juvenile, is among the champions trained by D. Wayne Lukas (Photo by Horsephotos.com)

Five underappreciated champions trained by D. Wayne Lukas

Mon Jun 30 2025Kellie Reilly

As serious health issues have forced Hall of Fame trainer D. Wayne Lukas into retirement at the age of 89, thoughts turn reflective about the inevitable passing of time in our own lives.

Racing

Hall of Fame trainer D. Wayne Lukas (Horsephotos.com)

Hall of Fame trainer D. Wayne Lukas (Horsephotos.com)

Photo Essay: D. Wayne Lukas as coach, horseman, and hall of fame legend

Sun Jun 29 2025Adam Spradling

Scroll through photos spanning many moments across D. Wayne Lukas' historic career as a coach, horseman, and Hall of Fame legend.

Racing

1902 Kentucky Derby Winner Allan-a-Dale

Tall Tales of the Track: Alan-A-Dale Goes Trotting for Roses

Fri Jun 20 2025Jennifer Kelly

In 1902, Alan-a-Dale won the roses thanks to an unconventional course of training and a savvy jockey who knew just what to do to keep the mount and score another historic victory under the Twin Spires.

Kentucky Derby

Jason Beem Monday Morning Message feed
Monday Morning Message with Jason Beem for June 9, 2025

Mon Jun 09 2025Jason Beem

Jason looks back on the 2025 Triple Crown series and those horses going forward.

Racing

Kentucky Derby 2026

Kentucky Derby news

Each of these series serve fresh, weekly updates - except for pedigree profiles which follow Road to the Kentucky Derby prep-races.

Kentucky Derby information

Below are hubs for key topics surrounding important aspects of the Kentucky Derby. From contenders to odds to the Future Wager.

Learn about the 2026 Kentucky Derby

What is the Kentucky Derby?

  • Location: Churchill Downs
  • Inaugural Race: 1875
  • Current Distance: 1 & 1/4 miles (10 furlongs)
  • Track Type: Left-Handed Dirt
  • Age Qualification: Three-year-olds
  • 2026 Purse: $5 million
  • 2026 Race Date: Saturday, May 2nd

Kentucky Derby 152 logo

CDP-29201_Oaks_Logo_Stacked_CMYK_Color-Full_v1.png

Current Kentucky Derby Probable Contenders:

Horse Information

Commandment wins the Florida Derby at Gulfstream Park.
Further Ado wins the Blue Grass Stakes at Keeneland.
Renegade wins the Arkansas Derby at Oaklawn Park.
So Happy wins the Santa Anita Derby at Santa Anita.
  • So Happy
     
  • Points: 114
  • Pedigree Profile
  • Context Profile
  • Add to Stable Alerts
  • Photo by Benoit Photography
Fulleffort Jeff Ruby Steaks Finish
The Puma wins the Tampa Bay Derby at Tampa Bay Downs.
Silent Tactic wins the Southwest Stakes at Oaklawn Park.
  • Silent Tactic
     
  • Points: 100
  • Pedigree Profile
  • Context Profile
  • Add to Stable Alerts
  • Photo by Coady Media
Emerging Market wins the Louisiana Derby at Fair Grounds.
  • Emerging Market
     
  • Points: 100
  • Pedigree Profile
  • Context Profile
  • Add to Stable Alerts
  • Photo by Hodges Photography
Albus wins the Wood Memorial at Aqueduct.
  • Albus
     
  • Points: 100
  • Pedigree Profile
  • Context Profile
  • Add to Stable Alerts
  • Photo by Coglianese Photos
Potente wins the San Felipe at Santa Anita.Potente wins the San Felipe at Santa Anita.Potente wins the San Felipe at Santa Anita.Potente wins the San Felipe at Santa Anita.
  • Potente
     
  • Points: 100
  • Pedigree Profile
  • Context Profile
  • Add to Stable Alerts
  • Photo by 
Potente wins the San Felipe at Santa Anita.
  • Pavlovian
     
  • Points: 70
  • Pedigree Profile
  • Context Profile
  • Add to Stable Alerts
  • Photo by 
 
  • Right to Party
     
  • Points: 65
  • Pedigree Profile
  • Context Profile
  • Add to Stable Alerts
  • Photo by 
 
  • Incredibolt
     
  • Points: 60
  • Pedigree Profile
  • Context Profile
  • Add to Stable Alerts
  • Photo by 
 
  • Golden Tempo
     
  • Points: 60
  • Pedigree Profile
  • Context Profile
  • Add to Stable Alerts
  • Photo by 
 
  • Ottinho
     
  • Points: 56
  • Pedigree Profile
  • Context Profile
  • Add to Stable Alerts
  • Photo by 
 
  • Stark Contrast
     
  • Points: 50
  • Pedigree Profile
  • Context Profile
  • Add to Stable Alerts
  • Photo by 
 
  • Iron Honor
     
  • Points: 50
  • Pedigree Profile
  • Context Profile
  • Add to Stable Alerts
  • Photo by 
 
  • Danon Bourbon
     
  • Points: Japan RTKD
  • Pedigree Profile
  • Context Profile
  • Add to Stable Alerts
  • Photo by 
 
  • Wonder Dean (JPN)
     
  • Points: Euro/Mid-East RTKD
  • Pedigree Profile
  • Context Profile
  • Add to Stable Alerts
  • Photo by 
 
  • Six Speed
     
  • Points: Euro/Mid-East RTKD
  • Pedigree Profile
  • Context Profile
  • Add to Stable Alerts
  • Photo by 
 
  • Chief Wallabee
     
  • Points: 50
  • Pedigree Profile
  • Context Profile
  • Add to Stable Alerts
  • Photo by 
 
  • Chip Honcho
     
  • Points: 49
  • Pedigree Profile
  • Context Profile
  • Add to Stable Alerts
  • Photo by 
 
  • Intrepido
     
  • Points: 38
  • Pedigree Profile
  • Context Profile
  • Add to Stable Alerts
  • Photo by 
 
  • Grittiness
     
  • Points: 38
  • Pedigree Profile
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  • Photo by 

Kentucky Derby Video & Official Race Replays

 

A Brief History of the Kentucky Derby

The most famous horse race in the world is the most thrilling two minutes in sport. It takes place on the first Saturday in May at the historic Churchill Downs racecourse in Louisville, Kentucky and regularly attended by more than 150,000 people. The record attendance was 165,307 in 2012, and in 2014 164,906 watched California Chrome win "the run for the roses".

The inaugural Kentucky Derby took place in 1875 after Col. Meriweather Lewis Clark, Jr had visited England three years earlier and witnessed the Epsom Derby, a famous race which had been run since 1780 on the outskirts of London. The Kentucky Derby was originally raced over the same distance of 1 & 1/2 miles as the Epsom Derby (it was changed to its current distance of 1 & 1/4 miles in 1896. An estimated crowd of 10,000 watched the colt Aristides crowned winner of the first running of the race at the newly constructed Churchill Downs racecourse.

The first live radio broadcast of the Kentucky Derby was in 1925, and it wasn't until 1949 that the first television coverage of the race happened. In 2016 the race will be covered live by NBC with real-time payouts and results from horse racing's premier event available all day on BetAmerica.com.

The race is so popular that in the preceding two weeks leading up to the running, the city of Louisville holds the Kentucky Derby Festival, Kentucky’s largest single annual event. The Kentucky Derby Festival is comprised of several events, including Thunder Over Louisville (the biggest annual fireworks display in North America), the Great Balloon Race, the Pegasus Parade (one the countries largest), and The Great Steamboat Race.

Entries into the Kentucky Derby include some of the most famous racehorses to ever compete. Notable entries into the race include Regret, Sir Burton, Gallant Fox, Omaha, War Admiral, Citation, Northern Dancer, Seattle Slew, War Emblem, and California Chrome.

Visit our Kentucky Derby Trivia page for more insights into the most famous race in the world, including detailed facts about entries, records, and winners.

TwinSpires is a licensed supplier of online betting on the Kentucky Derby. You can bet on the Kentucky Derby legally online at TwinSpires.com with a regulated U.S. based website where your deposits are safe and your winnings are guaranteed.  All bets are placed directly into the official Churchill Downs betting pools and all winnings are paid at full track odds.

 

Kentucky Derby Race Records

Fastest Time Recorded

  • 1.59.40
    Secretariat - 1973

Biggest Odds Winner

  • 91-1
    Donerail - 1913

Biggest Win Margin

  • 8 lengths
    Assault (1946) & Whirlaway (1941)

Most Wins by a Jockey

  • 5
    Eddie Arcaro (1938, 1941, 1945, 1948, 1952) & Bill Hartack (1957, 1960, 1962, 1964, 1969)

Most Wins by an Owner

  • 8
    Calumet Farm (1941, 1944, 1948, 1949, 1952, 1957, 1958, 1968)

Most Wins by a Trainer

  • 6
    Ben A Jones (1938, 1941, 1944, 1948, 1949, 1952)
    Bob Baffert (1997, 1998, 2002, 2015, 2018, 2020, 2021*)

Kentucky Derby prep-race listing:

View a complete list of prep-races that award points along the Road to the Kentucky Derby trail. Prep-races are valuable stepping stones for horses looking to compete on the First Saturday in May.

North America:

Iroquois

American Pharoah

Champagne

Breeders’ Futurity

Breeders’ Cup Juvenile

Kentucky Jockey Club

Remsen

Los Alamitos Futurity

Springboard Mile

Gun Runner

Smarty Jones

Jerome

Sham

North America:

Lecomte

Robert B. Lewis

Withers

Holy Bull

Sam F. Davis

El Camino Real Derby

John Battaglia Memorial

Southwest

Risen Star

Gotham

Fountain of Youth

San Felipe

Tampa Bay Derby

North America:

Rebel

Jeff Ruby Steaks (Spiral)

UAE Derby (Dubai)

Louisiana Derby

Sunland Derby

Florida Derby

Wood Memorial

Blue Grass

Santa Anita Derby

Arkansas Derby

Lexington

Europe:

Juddmonte Royal Lodge Stakes

Beresford Stakes

Prix de Jean Luc Lagardere

Vertem Futurity Trophy

Patton Stakes

Kentucky Derby Condition Stakes

Cardinal Condition Stakes

Japan:

Cattleya Sho

Zen-Nippon Nisai Yushun

Hyacinth

Fukuryu

Kentucky Derby Party & Fun Facts

QUIZ: What's your style personality: Derby or Met Gala?

QUIZ: What's your Kentucky Derby style?

POLL: Who is the best Kentucky Derby winner of the 2000s?

POPULAR ARTICLES

Kentucky Derby Maiden Watch: Boyd impresses in Del Mar debut
Kentucky Derby Maiden Watch: Check out Kristofferson, Talkin
Tall Tales of the Track: Bug Boys Get It Done for Father & Son
Five unbreakable Kentucky Derby records
Tall Tales of the Track: Unexpected Glory

VIDEOS

LATEST

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