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- The Kentucky Derby trophy is made of 56 ounces of 14 and 18 carat gold, and is two feet tall.
- Churchill Downs opened on May 17, 1875 and the very first race was won by a horse named Bonaventure. The featured race's winner was a 3 year-old chestnut colt named Aristides.
- The phrase "Run for the Roses" was coined by New York sports columnist Bill Corum, who would later become president of Churchill Downs.
- In 1969, Diane Crump became the first woman to ride in the Kentucky Derby and the first to ride in a pari-mutuel race in North America.
- The horseshoe atop the Kentucky Derby was originally pointing down, and was turned 180 degrees to point upward in 1924.
- Racing silks were adopted in order to distinguish jockeys and horses from one another.
- "My Old Kentucky Home", the song played when the horse are led onto the field, has been played by University of Louisville Marching Band since 1936.
- Early Times is the official Kentucky whiskey used to make Mint Juleps at the Kentucky Derby.
- Many celebrities have owned horses that have run in the Derby, including Steven Speilberg, George Steinbrenner and Burt Bacharach.
- The Garland of Roses, presented to the winner of the Kentucky Derby, has been shipped to Danville, Kentucky to be freeze-dried since 1996. Some owners even save a rose in order to dip it in
silver for preservation.
- The Derby was nationally telecast for the first time on May 3, 1952 on a CBS affiliate.
- In 1896, the Derby was shortened from 1 ? miles to 1 ? miles because it was thought that the distance was too long for 3 year-old colts to run in the spring.
- Donerail became the longest shot to win the Kentucky Derby in 1913, with 91.45-1 odds.
- 12 Kentucky Derby winners have sired other Kentucky Derby winners, with Bold Venture actually siring two.
- There has never been a winner to come out of post position #15.
- The fastest Derby run was by Secretariat in 1973, at 1:59.40. The slowest run was by Stone Street in 1908, at 2:15.20.
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KENTUCKY OAKS AND CHURCHILL DOWNS LINKS AND INFORMATION
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