{"id":17769,"date":"2024-05-10T13:09:03","date_gmt":"2024-05-10T17:09:03","guid":{"rendered":"\/blog\/?p=17769"},"modified":"2024-05-10T13:09:03","modified_gmt":"2024-05-10T17:09:03","slug":"kentucky-derby-fun-facts","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"\/blog\/kentucky-derby-fun-facts\/","title":{"rendered":"Kentucky Derby: Fun Facts to Know Before the Race"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Springtime is in full bloom, and the calendar is ready to be flipped to May which can only mean one thing: the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ticketclub.com\/sports\/kentucky-derby-tickets\">Kentucky Derby<\/a> is just around the corner! One of the world&#8217;s most famous horse races is gearing to kick off May 5 but before it does, get up to speed with these fun facts about Kentucky&#8217;s top sporting event.\u00a0 \u00a0<!--more--><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Now in its 144th year, The Kentucky Derby is one of the world&#8217;s oldest sports championships.<\/li>\n<li>Its inaugural race took place in 1875. Other major championships that began shortly after include Wimbledon (1877) and the Stanley Cup (1893).<\/li>\n<li>In its 144 years, the Derby has never been postponed due to rain or other inclement weather.<\/li>\n<li>An estimated 10,000 spectators watched the first race at Churchill Downs racetrack. Today, nearly 170,000 gather for the event.<\/li>\n<li>The race was originally 1.5 miles. In 1896, it was shortened to 1.25 miles and has not changed since.<\/li>\n<li>The track itself is one mile long.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\" wp-image-17776 aligncenter\" src=\"\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/full_DJD_3296.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"513\" height=\"342\" \/><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>1931 marked the first year that the Kentucky Derby was held on the first Saturday in May. Prior to that, the date had never been predetermined.<\/li>\n<li>The Kentucky Derby is the first &#8220;prong&#8221; in horse racing&#8217;s prestigious Triple Crown. The Preakness and Belmont Stakes complete the Triple Crown.<\/li>\n<li>Only 12 horses have won the Triple Crown throughout history. American Pharaoh was the last thoroughbred to achieve the feat, doing so in 2015.<\/li>\n<li>In order to compete in the race, thoroughbreds must be under three years old.<\/li>\n<li>1973 Triple Crown winner Secretariat holds the record for fastest time at the Kentucky Derby at 1:59 and 2\/5 seconds. He went on to garner even faster finishes at both the Preakness and Belmont Stakes.<\/li>\n<li>Also known as the &#8220;Run for the Roses,&#8221; the Kentucky Derby makes a tradition out of draping a blanket of roses over the winning horse.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Traditions - The Garland of Roses\" width=\"685\" height=\"385\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/IgSdSDY7s0U?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Mint Juleps are the traditional drink of the Derby. An estimated 120,000 are served during both the Kentucky Derby and Kentucky Oaks, which takes place the day prior.<\/li>\n<li>Elegant hats have become synonymous with the Derby, a tradition rooted in the race originally serving as an opportunity for high-class citizens to show off their fashion.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Traditions - Derby Hats\" width=\"685\" height=\"385\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/fu8Vm4Vatrc?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>The Kentucky Derby was originally founded to emulate England&#8217;s Epsom Derby. As a result, four notable members of the British Royal family have made appearances at Churchill Downs: The Earl of Derby in 1930, the Duke of Windsor in 1951, Princess Margaret in 1974 and most recently, Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip in 2007.<\/li>\n<li>In addition to royalty, elite U.S. figures have also attended, including seven former presidents.<\/li>\n<li>Harry Truman, Lyndon B. Johnson, Gerald Ford, Jimmy Carter and George H. W. Bush have all attended either before or after they were elected President.<\/li>\n<li>Richard Nixon was the only sitting president to attend.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Springtime is in full bloom, and the calendar is ready to be flipped to May which can only mean one thing: the Kentucky Derby is just around the corner! One of the world&#8217;s most famous horse races is gearing to kick off May 5 but before it does, get up to speed with these fun &hellip; <a href=\"\/blog\/kentucky-derby-fun-facts\/\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Kentucky Derby: Fun Facts to Know Before the Race<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[40],"tags":[1011,763,406,1012],"class_list":["post-17769","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-sports","tag-horse-racing","tag-kentucky-derby","tag-sports","tag-triple-crown"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v26.6 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Kentucky Derby: Fun Facts to Know Before the Race<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Break out a big hat and whip up a mint julep, because the Kentucky Derby is almost here. 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Before the first prong of racing&#039;s Triple Crown commences, get caught up to speed with these fun facts about the &quot;Run for the Roses.&quot;\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"\/blog\/kentucky-derby-fun-facts\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Ticket Club\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/TicketClub.Official\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2024-05-10T17:09:03+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Kelly Byrnes\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@theticketclub\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@theticketclub\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Kelly Byrnes\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"2 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"\/blog\/kentucky-derby-fun-facts\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"\/blog\/kentucky-derby-fun-facts\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Kelly Byrnes\",\"@id\":\"\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/f47f51548992093b0057e94e668f3517\"},\"headline\":\"Kentucky Derby: Fun Facts to Know Before the Race\",\"datePublished\":\"2024-05-10T17:09:03+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"\/blog\/kentucky-derby-fun-facts\/\"},\"wordCount\":470,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"\/blog\/#organization\"},\"keywords\":[\"Horse Racing\",\"Kentucky Derby\",\"Sports\",\"Triple Crown\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Sports\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"\/blog\/kentucky-derby-fun-facts\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"\/blog\/kentucky-derby-fun-facts\/\",\"url\":\"\/blog\/kentucky-derby-fun-facts\/\",\"name\":\"Kentucky Derby: Fun Facts to Know Before the Race\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"\/blog\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2024-05-10T17:09:03+00:00\",\"description\":\"Break out a big hat and whip up a mint julep, because the Kentucky Derby is almost here. 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