POPULAR ARTICLES
VIDEOS
LATEST
Kentucky Derby Lucky Losers: Cryptoclearance (1987)
Cryptoclearance was another exceptional member of the class of 1984, a hard-trying horse who was always in the mix in the sport’s biggest stakes and a stellar sire who passed on his champion genes to more than one classic winner.
Racing
Florida Derby & Arkansas Derby: Picks, race entries, analysis & LIVE horse racing news
Enjoy live odds for all the upcoming stakes races, including the Florida Derby and the Arkansas Derby entries. Watch replays of those important stakes, and discover Arkansas Derby and Florida Derby results and for each stakes race.
Racing
Horse Racing This Weekend: Key Races, Top Horses & Best Bets [March 29-30]
Find out everything you need to know about key races, top horse, and best bets with TwinSpires horse racing this weekend.
Analysis
The Jury: Expert Picks, Bets, and Fades for March 29 [VIDEO]
The TwinSpires Jury of James Scully, Ashley Anderson, and Darin Zoccali discuss their best bets and fades at Oaklawn Park for the Arkansas Derby (G1) card and Gulfstream Park for Florida Derby (G1) Day. Plus, they give their top picks for both 100-point Kentucky Derby prep races on Saturday.
Racing
Tipsheet: 2025 Florida Derby
An excellent field of 10 sophomores will travel 1 1/8 miles on the Gulfstream Park dirt in Saturday’s lucrative, $1 million Florida Derby (G2). The 2025 Road to the Kentucky Derby challenge series contest will reward the top five finishers with qualifying points on a 100-50-25-15-10 basis.
Racing
Tipsheet: 2025 Arkansas Derby
A total of nine three-year-olds will go 1 1/8 miles at Oaklawn Park in Saturday’s $1.5 million Arkansas Derby (G1). The 2025 Road to the Kentucky Derby challenge series contest will reward the top five finishers of the heat with qualifying points towards the Run for the Roses on a 100-50-25-15-10 structure.
Racing
Meet the Contenders: 2025 Florida Derby
Meet the horses running in the 2025 Florida Derby at Gulfstream Park. For each horse, we're listing a pro, a con, and a rating of potential.
Racing
Meet the Contenders: 2025 Arkansas Derby
Meet the horses running in the 2025 Arkansas Derby at Oaklawn Park. For each horse, we're listing a pro, a con, and a rating of potential.
Analysis
Kentucky Derby preps: How productive is the Blue Grass?
During the 20th century, the Blue Grass (G1) at Keeneland was a preeminent steppingstone to the Kentucky Derby (G1).
Racing
Kentucky Derby Roundup: Tiztastic, Final Gambit post upsets
The 2025 Kentucky Derby (G1) is 40 days away. Catch up on the latest news and notes as the Road to the Kentucky Derby unfolds:
Racing
Kentucky Derby pedigree profile: Tiztastic
Of all the horses taking aim at the 2025 Kentucky Derby (G1), Tiztastic boasts one of the most interesting pedigrees.
Racing
Kentucky Derby pedigree profile: Final Gambit
A terrific homestretch rally allowed Final Gambit to overcome a bumping start and dominate the Jeff Ruby Steaks (G3), his Road to the Kentucky Derby debut.
Racing
Louisiana Derby & Jeff Ruby Steaks: Picks, race entries, analysis & LIVE horse racing news
Enjoy live odds for all the upcoming stakes races, including the Jeff Ruby Steaks and Louisiana Derby entries. Watch replays of those important stakes, and discover Jeff Ruby Steaks and Louisiana Derby results for each stakes race.
Racing
Horse Racing This Weekend: Key Races, Top Horses & Best Bets [March 22-23]
Find out everything you need to know about key races, top horse, and best bets with TwinSpires horse racing this weekend.
Racing
Ova Charged wins the Mardi Gras at Fair Grounds (Photo courtesy of Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots)
Exclusive 2025 Louisiana Derby and Jeff Ruby Steaks LIVE chat ahead of Saturday racing
Join us for an hour long lively chat about this Saturday horse racing today, before the action begins on the Road to the Kentucky Derby at Fair Grounds and Turfway.
Live
Tipsheet: 2025 Jeff Ruby Steaks
A deep cast of 13 sophomores will travel nine panels over the Tapeta at Turfway Park in Saturday’s $777,000 Jeff Ruby Steaks (G3). The 2025 Road to the Kentucky Derby challenge series tilt will reward the first five across the wire with qualifying points on a 100-50-25-15-10 structure.
Analysis
Tipsheet: 2025 Louisiana Derby
A strong field of 10 will travel 1 3/16 miles on the Fair Grounds dirt in Saturday’s lucrative, $1 million Louisiana Derby (G2). The 2025 Road to the Kentucky Derby challenge series contest will reward the top five finishers with qualifying points on a 100–50-25-15-10 basis.
Racing
Meet the Contenders: 2025 Jeff Ruby Steaks
Meet the horses running in the 2025 Jeff Ruby Steaks at Turfway Park. For each horse, we're listing a pro, a con, and a rating of potential.
Analysis
Meet the Contenders: 2025 Louisiana Derby
Meet the horses running in the 2025 Louisiana Derby Saturday at Fair Grounds. For each horse, we're listing a pro, a con, and a rating of potential.
Analysis
Kentucky Derby Maiden Watch: Cox trainees stun at Colonial
Seven weeks out from the 2025 Kentucky Derby (G1), promising three-year-olds continue to post flashy maiden victories around the country.
Racing
Kentucky Derby Roundup: American Promise wins Virginia Derby
The 2025 Kentucky Derby (G1) is 47 days away. Catch up on the latest news and notes as the Road to the Kentucky Derby unfolds:
Racing
Journalism closes as 5-1 favorite in KDFW Pool 5; Good Cheer dominates Oaks Future at 2-1
Pool 5 of the 2025 Kentucky Derby Future Wager (KDFW) closed Sunday evening with Journalism as the overall favorite at 5-1 from the 7-1 Sovereignty.
Racing
Kentucky Derby pedigree profile: American Promise
A 7 3/4-length demolition of the Virginia Derby at Colonial Downs launched American Promise into the Kentucky Derby (G1) picture.
Racing
Trackside: 2025 Virginia Derby Weekend at Colonial Downs [VIDEO]
Join our experts as they travel trackside to give you all access Colonial Downs Friday and Saturday up-to-date racing coverage. With behind the scenes action, expert picks, trainer and jockey interviews, breaking news, and more, you'll feel like you're at the track with them!
Analysis
Horse Racing This Weekend: Key Races, Top Horses & Best Bets [March 15-16]
Find out everything you need to know about key races, top horse, and best bets with TwinSpires horse racing this weekend.
Racing
The Jury: Expert Picks, Bets, and Fades for March 15 [VIDEO]
From Colonial Downs for Virginia Derby weekend, James Scully and Ashley Anderson convene with guest Nick Tammaro to talk their best bets and fades of the week at Colonial and Gulfstream Park, plus their picks in the Virginia Oaks and Virginia Derby on the Road to the Kentucky Derby and Oaks.
Racing
Tipsheet: 2025 Virginia Derby
A total of nine three-year-olds will go 1 1/8 miles on the Colonial Downs main strip in Saturday’s $500,000 Virginia Derby.
Racing
Journalism heads Pool 5 of KDFW; Good Cheer tops Oaks Future Wager
Pool 5 of the Kentucky Derby Future Wager (KDFW) and the lone Kentucky Oaks Future Wager (KOFW) of 2025 will be offered this week beginning at noon ET on Friday.
Kentucky Derby
Kentucky Derby preps: How productive is the Louisiana Derby?
For decades, the Louisiana Derby had minimal impact on the Kentucky Derby. But that has changed sharply since the 1990s.
Racing
Kentucky Derby Maiden Watch: Accelerize, Zat’s the One shine
Can Accelerize qualify to the Kentucky Derby? It’s not out of the question after the talented three-year-old stunned on debut at Tampa Bay Downs.
Racing
Kentucky Derby Roundup: Owen Almighty takes Tampa Bay Derby
The 2025 Kentucky Derby (G1) is 54 days away. Catch up on the latest news and notes as the Road to the Kentucky Derby unfolds:
Racing
Monday Morning Message with Jason Beem for March 10, 2025
Jason looks back at this weekend's Tampa Bay Derby win for Owen Almighty and a common bond shared with their ownership group.
Racing
Kentucky Derby pedigree profile: Owen Almighty
We know Owen Almighty has speed. But does he have the necessary stamina to win over 1 1/4 miles in the Kentucky Derby (G1)?
Racing
Horse Racing This Weekend: Key Races, Top Horses & Best Bets [March 8-9]
Find out everything you need to know about key races, top horse, and best bets with TwinSpires horse racing this weekend.
Racing
Meet the Contenders: 2025 Tampa Bay Derby
Meet the horses running in the Tampa Bay Derby at Tampa Bay Downs in Tampa, FL. For each horse, we're listing a pro, a con, and a rating of potential.
Analysis
Tipsheet: 2025 Tampa Bay Derby
A talented field of seven sophomores are signed on to travel 1 1/16 miles on the dirt in Saturday’s $400,000 Tampa Bay Derby S. (G3)
Racing
Kentucky Derby Maiden Watch: Disruptor lives up to his name
Is Disruptor ready to disrupt the Road to the Kentucky Derby? It’s possible after the chestnut colt delivered a fast maiden victory at Gulfstream Park last Saturday.
Racing
Kentucky Derby Roundup: Journalism, Sovereignty win returns
The 2025 Kentucky Derby (G1) is 61 days away. Catch up on the latest news and notes as the Road to the Kentucky Derby unfolds:
Racing
Monday Morning Message with Jason Beem for Mar. 3, 2025
Jason discusses some of the Kentucky Derby prep winners but also some of the horses not to give up on just yet.
Racing
Kentucky Derby pedigree profile: Flood Zone
Are one-turn miles destined to be Flood Zone’s strong suit, or can he shine racing 1 1/4 miles around two turns in the Kentucky Derby (G1)?
Racing
LIVE Saturday Racing: Gulfstream, Santa Anita & Aqueduct
Join us on the Road to the Kentucky Derby as we give you live updates on stakes races, including the Gotham, Fountain of Youth, and San Felipe.
Live
LIVE Blog for Saturday Stakes Racing: picks, odds, results and more on the RTKD
Join us on the Road to the Kentucky Derby as we give you live updates on stakes races, including the Gotham, Fountain of Youth, and San Felipe.
Live
Horse Racing This Weekend: Key Races, Top Horses & Best Bets [Feb 28-March 2]
Find out everything you need to know about key races, top horse, and best bets with TwinSpires horse racing this weekend.
Racing
Tipsheet: 2025 San Felipe Stakes
An exciting group of six talented three-year-olds will go 1 1/16 miles on the Santa Anita main strip in Saturday’s $300,000 San Felipe S. (G2). The 2025 Road to the Kentucky Derby challenge series contest will reward the top five finishers of the heat with qualifying points on a 50-25-15-10-5 structure.
Racing
Tall Tales of the Track: A Tale of Two Clydes
Once upon a time in the rolling hills of the Kentucky Bluegrass, a little chestnut horse was born. What he lacked in stature, he made up for in talent and heart, especially on rainy days. Named for his equally diminutive trainer, Clyde Van Dusen put on a big show on the first Saturday in May and did his big sire proud with his Kentucky Derby win.
Racing
Meet the Contenders: 2025 Fountain of Youth Stakes
Meet the horses running in the 2025 Fountain of Youth S. at Gulfstream Park. For each horse, we're listing a pro, a con, and a rating of potential.
Racing
Meet the Contenders: 2025 Gotham Stakes
Meet the horses running in the 2025 Gotham S. (G3) at Aqueduct. For each horse, we're listing a pro, a con, and a rating of potential.
Analysis
Meet the Contenders: 2025 San Felipe Stakes
Meet the horses running in the 2025 San Felipe S. (G2) at Santa Anita. For each horse, we're listing a pro, a con, and a rating of potential.
Analysis
Kentucky Derby preps: How productive is the Fountain of Youth?
During the second half of the 20th century, the Fountain of Youth (G2) at Gulfstream Park emerged as a pivotal Kentucky Derby (G1) prep race.
Racing
Kentucky Derby Roundup: Coal Battle strikes again
The 2025 Kentucky Derby (G1) is 68 days away. Catch up on the latest news and notes as the Road to the Kentucky Derby unfolds:
Racing
Kentucky Derby Maiden Watch: Cornucopian wins like Justify
Seven years ago, Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert pulled off a seemingly impossible feat. He has chances to do it again with Cornucopian and Tiz Secure.
Racing
Kentucky Derby pedigree profile: Luxor Cafe
Luxor Cafe, a Triple Crown nominee based in Japan, could have Kentucky Derby (G1) aspirations after winning the Hyacinth S. and Fukuryu S. on the Japan Road to the Kentucky Derby.
Racing
Kentucky Derby pedigree profile: California Burrito
Switching back to dirt for the 2025 Kentucky Derby (G1) shouldn’t be a concern for California Burrito. But can he handle the Derby’s 1 1/4-mile distance?
Racing
Horse Racing This Weekend: Key Races, Top Horses & Best Bets [Feb 21 - 23]
Find out everything you need to know about key races, top horse, and best bets with TwinSpires horse racing this weekend.
Best Bets
The Jury: Expert Picks, Bets, and Fades for Feb. 21-23 [VIDEO]
Ashley Anderson, James Scully, and Darin Zoccali debate their best bets and fades at Turfway Park for the Cincinnati Trophy S. and John Battaglia Memorial on the Road to the Kentucky Oaks (G1) and Derby (G1), respectively. Plus, they look at Oaklawn Park's Sunday card featuring the Rebel (G2) and Honeybee (G3), and more.
Racing
Kentucky Derby Maiden Watch: Mage’s half-bro Baeza graduates
Can Puca make history as the first mare to produce three U.S. classic winners? It’s within the realm of possibility after her foal Baeza broke his maiden in eye-catching fashion at Santa Anita last Friday.
Racing
Kentucky Derby Roundup: Magnitude climbs the leaderboard
The 2025 Kentucky Derby (G1) is 75 days away. Catch up on the latest news and notes as the Road to the Kentucky Derby unfolds:
Racing
Kentucky Derby pedigree profile: Getaway Car
A brief glance at the pedigree of Sunland Park Derby winner Getaway Car might lead to the conclusion he’s bred to shine racing classic distances.
Racing
Barnes remains 8-1 individual favorite in Kentucky Derby Future Wager Pool 4
Unbeaten San Vicente (G2) winner Barnes closed as the 8-1 individual favorite in Pool 4 of the Kentucky Derby Future Wager (KDFW), while the mutuel field of “All Other Three-Year-Olds” continued to rank as the overall betting choice at 9-2.
Racing
Kentucky Derby pedigree profile: Magnitude
A 9 3/4-length demolition of the Risen Star (G2) has stamped Magnitude as a serious contender for the 2025 Kentucky Derby (G1).
Racing
Risen Star LIVE blog: Picks, odds, & more at Fair Grounds
Get ready for the main event for horse racing today! The Risen Star Stakes and Rachel Alexandra is just around the corner.
Racing
LIVE blog for Fair Grounds Saturday Racing: Picks, odds, replays, race results and more
Let the racing begin! The first race of the day will be here soon enough with a day full of race entries, race results, trackside all access coverage, picks, offers, and more
Racing
Exclusive 2025 Risen Star LIVE chat ahead of Saturday racing
Join in on an open discussion with our expert panel ahead of Saturday racing about this Saturday's RTKD race, the Risen Star.
Analysis
Horse Racing This Weekend: Key Races, Top Horses & Best Bets [Feb 14 - 16]
Find out everything you need to know about key races, top horse, and best bets with TwinSpires horse racing this weekend.
Analysis
Trackside: 2025 Risen Star Weekend at Fair Grounds [VIDEO]
TwinSpires is trackside for an all access weekend of racing for Risen Star weekend at Fair Grounds.
Kentucky Derby
Meet the Contenders: 2025 Sunland Derby
Meet the horses running in the 2025 Sunland Park Derby at Sunland Park. For each horse, we're listing a pro, a con, and a rating of potential.
Analysis
Scully, Hanson offer selections for KDFW Pool 4
TwinSpires analysts James Scully and Vance Hanson offer their picks Pool 4 of the KDFW, as well as a joint horse to watch for.
Racing
Citizen Bull early individual choice in Pool 4 of KDFW
Champion juvenile colt #6 Citizen Bull, recent winner of the Robert B. Lewis (G3) at Santa Anita, has been installed the early 6-1 individual favorite in Pool 4 of the 2025 Kentucky Derby Future Wager (KDFW).
Racing
Kentucky Derby preps: How productive is the Risen Star?
Once upon a time, the Risen Star (G2) at Fair Grounds was a minor step on the Road to the Kentucky Derby. Now it ranks among the most pivotal qualifiers.
Racing
Kentucky Derby Maiden Watch: Colloquial stuns but plans to keep sprinting
Is Feb. 7 too late for a potential Kentucky Derby (G1) contender to break his maiden and still qualify to compete on the first Saturday in May?
Racing
Kentucky Derby Roundup: John Hancock takes the Sam F. Davis
The 2025 Kentucky Derby (G1) is 82 days away. Catch up on the latest news and notes as the Road to the Kentucky Derby unfolds:
Racing
Kentucky Derby pedigree profile: John Hancock
John Hancock joined the Road to the Kentucky Derby with an unwavering performance in the 1 1/16-mile Sam F. Davis S. at Tampa Bay Downs.
Racing
Horse Racing This Weekend: Key Races, Top Horses & Best Bets [Feb 4-Feb 9]
Find out everything you need to know about key races, top horse, and best bets with TwinSpires horse racing this weekend.
Racing
STUDY: Is the Kentucky Derby's Apollo Curse a negative or positive?
Is a lack of juvenile racing experience a detriment in the Kentucky Derby, or is the Apollo Curse a myth resulting from an insufficient sample size of horses?
Racing
Official Triple Crown Nominations List 2025: Who will we see in the Kentucky Derby?
Who will we see in the Kentucky Derby? This early Triple Crown nominations list holds many of their names.
Kentucky Derby
Kentucky Derby Maiden Watch: Sorcerer’s Silver romps for Romans
Trainer Dale Romans has enjoyed resounding success through the years. But one target that has proven elusive is the Kentucky Derby (G1).
Racing
Kentucky Derby Roundup: Citizen Bull returns a winner
The 2025 Kentucky Derby (G1) is 89 days away. Catch up on the latest news and notes as the Road to the Kentucky Derby unfolds:
Racing
Kentucky Derby pedigree profile: Burnham Square
Handicappers must answer an important question: can Burnham Square handle the testing 1 1/4-mile distance of the Kentucky Derby (G1)?
Racing
Kentucky Derby pedigree profile: Captain Cook
Can Captain Cook handle stretching out over 1 1/4 miles for the Kentucky Derby (G1)?
Racing
Horse Racing This Weekend: Key Races, Top Horses & Best Bets [Jan 31-Feb 2]
Discover everything you need to know about horse racing this weekend, including top horses, best bets, tournaments, and many great promotional bonus offers you just can't say no to.
Promotional Bonus Offer
Grade 3 Holy Bull trends and field analysis
Gulfstream Park will host the 36th running of the Holy Bull S. (G3) on Saturday, a Kentucky Derby (G1) prep race worth points on a 20-10-6-4-2 sliding scale to the top five finishers.
Racing
Tipsheet: 2025 Robert B. Lewis Stakes
A compact field of five will travel one-mile on the Santa Anita dirt in Saturday’s $200,000 Robert B. Lewis S. (G3).
Analysis
Meet the Contenders: 2025 Robert B. Lewis Stakes
Meet the horses running in the 2025 Robert B. Lewis S. (G3) at Santa Anita. For each horse, we're listing a pro, a con, and a rating of potential.
Analysis
Meet the Contenders: 2025 Holy Bull Stakes
Meet the horses running in the 2025 Holy Bull at Gulfstream Park this Saturday. For each horse, we're listing a pro, a con, and a rating of potential.
Racing
Meet the Contenders: 2025 Withers Stakes
Meet the horses running in the 2024 Withers S. (G3) at Aqueduct. For each horse, we're listing a pro, a con, and a rating of potential.
Analysis
Tipsheet: 2025 Holy Bull Stakes
A very good field of seven three-year-old prospects will run 1 1/16 miles on the Gulfstream Park dirt oval in Saturday’s $265,000 Holy Bull S. (G3). The 2025 Road to the Kentucky Derby challenge series contest will reward the top five finishers of the heat with qualifying points on a 20-10-6-4-2 basis.
Racing
Racing Roundtable: Pegasus World Cup Day, Speed King's Southwest upset
This week, the Racing Roundtable reflects on Pegasus World Cup Day at Gulfstream Park, Speed King's upset in the Southwest (G3) — a Road to the Kentucky Derby (G1) prep race — and what else caught their eye from the weekend.
Racing
Kentucky Derby Maiden Watch: 10 new names to follow
The final weekend in January yielded a bevy of three-year-old maiden winners with possible 2025 Kentucky Derby (G1) aspirations.
Racing
Kentucky Derby Roundup: Speed King surprises in the Southwest
The 2025 Kentucky Derby (G1) is 96 days away. Catch up on the latest news and notes as the Road to the Kentucky Derby unfolds:
Racing
Kentucky Derby pedigree profile: Speed King
Speed King lived up to his name in the 1 1/16-mile Southwest (G3) on the Road to the Kentucky Derby, leading all the way to win the $1 million race by one length.
Racing
Horse Racing This Weekend: Key Races, Top Horses & Best Bets (Jan 25-26)
Discover everything you need to know about horse racing this weekend, including top horses, best bets, tournaments, and many great promotions and offers.
Racing
Meet the Contenders: 2025 Southwest Stakes
Meet the horses running in the 2024 Southwest S. Saturday at Oaklawn Park. For each horse, we're listing a pro, a con, and a rating of potential.
Analysis
Kentucky Derby preps: How productive is the Holy Bull?
The Holy Bull established its reputation during the 1990s and 2000s, when it cranked out three Kentucky Derby winners from only 23 starters.
Racing
Kentucky Derby Maiden Watch: Hypnus wins debut for McPeek
When trainer Kenny McPeek saddles a horse to win on debut, there’s a good chance that horse will go on to achieve success at the stakes level.
Racing
Kentucky Derby Roundup: Disco Time joins the leaderboard
The 2025 Kentucky Derby (G1) is 103 days away. Catch up on the latest news and notes as the Road to the Kentucky Derby unfolds:
Racing
Monday Morning Message with Jason Beem Jan. 20, 2025
Jason discusses Saturday's Lecomte Stakes and why it's his unofficial start of the Road to the Kentucky Derby.
Racing
Kentucky Derby pedigree profile: Disco Time
Is the Kentucky Derby’s testing 1 1/4-mile journey within Disco Time’s distance capabilities? His pedigree gives off mixed signals.
Racing
Barnes firms into 6-1 individual favoritism in Kentucky Derby Future Wager Pool 3
Unbeaten San Vicente (G2) winner Barnes consolidated his position as the individual favorite in the 2025 Kentucky Derby Future Wager (KDFW), closing as the 6-1 choice among the named interests in Pool 3.
Racing
Kentucky Derby 2025
Kentucky Derby information
Learn about the 2025 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
- 2025 Purse: $5 million
- 2025 Race Date: Saturday, May 3rd
Kentucky Derby Contenders: Updated Oct. 7, 2024 | Runner Information |
 (Photo by Coglianese Photos) |
|
 (Photo by Coady Media) |
|
 (Photo by Benoit Photography) |
|
 (Photo by Coady Media) |
|
Kentucky Derby Video
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.
Kentucky Derby Party & Fun Facts
- KELLY: One Hundred Years Ago, Colonel Bradley Goes for the One-Two
- KELLY: More Than One Way to Wear Roses
- HANSON: D. Wayne Lukas the best asset for fillies in Kentucky Derby preps
- HANSON: Phenom to Journeyman: The Riding Life of Bill Boland
- KELLY: Some Things Stay the Same: One Hundred Days, One Hundred Years Ago
- HANSON: 1945 - When the Kentucky Derby moved from May to June
POPULAR ARTICLES
VIDEOS
LATEST