| The popular Kentucky Derby is source of great | | | | man who established the Louisville Jockey |
| entertaining enjoyment for its exciting | | | | Club for generating money to build a high |
| spectators. Actually, It is a Grade I stakes | | | | quality racing facilities just outside of the |
| race with three-year-old thoroughbred horses | | | | city. He was lucky enough that the track was |
| which is being held annually in Louisville, | | | | later known as Churchill Downs, named for |
| Kentucky always on the first Saturday in May, | | | | Meriwether Lewis Clark Jr.'s relatives, John |
| covering the two-week-long Kentucky Derby | | | | and Henry Churchill, who had supplied the |
| Festival. The distance of of the race is | | | | land for the racetrack. Formally in 1937, the |
| one and one-quarter miles (2.012 km) at | | | | racetrack was incorporated as Churchill |
| Churchill Downs. The colts as well as | | | | Downs. |
| geldings of the race weigh about 126 pounds | | | | |
| (57 kg), fillies 121 pounds (55 kg). The Race | | | | The First race of The Kentucky Derby was run |
| is popularly known as "The Most Exciting Two | | | | at 1.5 miles (2.4 km), similar distance as |
| Minutes in as well as "The Run for the Roses" | | | | the Epsom Derby and the Grand Prix de Paris. |
| . The reason of the first given name is "its | | | | Later, this distance was altered to its |
| estimated time length" and for the second | | | | present 1.25 miles (2.01 km) in 1896. On May |
| name is "the blanket of roses awarded to the | | | | 17, 1875, the race loving crowd of 10,000 |
| winner". Its popularity can be judged by the | | | | people witnessed a field of in total 15 |
| jubilation and excitement of its 155,000 | | | | three-year-old horses contested the first |
| fans. | | | | Derby. |
| | | | |
| The Horse breeding and racing has been one | | | | From 1875 to 1902, African-American jockeys |
| of Kentucky's specialty tradition since the | | | | won 15 out of 28 runnings of the Kentucky |
| late 1700s. Kentucky thrives on the | | | | Derby. On May 11, 1892, African-American |
| Ordovician fields of the Bluegrass region | | | | jockey Alonzo "Lonnie" Clayton, age 15 became |
| that produces higher amounts of calcium which | | | | the youngest rider to win the Derby on 11th |
| results in the production of superior race | | | | May, 1892. Elwood won the race, the first |
| horses. Col. Meriwether Lewis Clark, Jr., | | | | Derby starter plus winner to be owned by a |
| grandson of William Clark were the greatest | | | | woman, Laska Durnell in 1904. Regret was the |
| lover of the horse racing.They used to travel | | | | first filly to win the Kentucky Derbyin 1915 |
| ( ) to Paris, France and enjoyed watching | | | | whereas and in 1917, the English bred colt |
| thrilling horse racings organised by the the | | | | "Omar Khayyam" was the first foreign-bred |
| French Jockey Club. Clark was that leading | | | | horse to win the race. |