Kentucky Derby Fun Facts
Contributed By Stevie StatsPosted on 5/1/11 6:34 PM
The Kentucky Derby trophy is made of 56 ounces of 14 and 18 carat gold and stands two feet tall.
Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky 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 Trophy 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 1/2 miles to 1 1/4 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. Bold Venture, winner of the 1936 Kentucky Derby, actually sired two Derby winners: Assault (1946) and Middleground (1950).
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.
Coldest temperature: 36° May 4, 1940 and May 4, 1957
Coldest high temperature: 47° May 4, 1935 and May 4, 1957
Coldest average daily temperature: 42° May 4, 1957
(The cold temperatures on May 4, 1957 were accompanied by 20 to 25 mph north winds!)
Warmest temperature: 94° May 2, 1959
Warmest low temperature: 72° May 14, 1886
Warmest average daily temperature: 79° May 14, 1886
Wettest: 2.31" of rain May 11, 1918
Frozen precipitation: On May 6, 1989 sleet was observed from 1:01pm to 1:05pm.
Out of the 136 Derby Days, 62 (46%) experienced rain at some point during the day.
Longest stretch of consecutive wet Derby Days: 6 (1989-1994)
Longest stretch of consecutive dry Derby Days: 12 (1875-1886)
