The 2025 Kentucky Derby is Saturday May 3rd.

The Derby was first held in 1875 which makes it the longest continuously held major sporting event in the United States.

This year is the 151st edition of the Kentucky Derby, which had been held on the first Saturday in May at Churchill Downs every year since 1946- the exception being 2020 when the COVID-19 pandemic forced the postponement of the race until September 5th.

ARISTIDES Won the inaugural Kentucky Derby– and that is just one of the many morsels of history surrounding the first jewel of the Triple Crown.

There are many interesting facts about the race- too many to list actually. So in no particular order, here’s a look at ten Derby tidbits:

1. The most common color of Kentucky Derby Winners is bay with 57, including MYSTIK DAN in 2024, followed by chestnut with 50 Winners, including MAGE in 2023, and brown with 17. Eight Derby Winners were gray or roan, most recently GIACOMO in 2005.

2. Nineteen Kentucky Derby Winners’ names have started with the letter S, the most of any letter. The letters B and C rank next with 13 Winners each. The only three letters not represented by a Derby Winner are Q, X, and Y.

3. There have been nine undefeated Kentucky Derby Winners from 37 undefeated horses who have run in the race since 1915. Triple Crown Winner JUSTIFY in 2018 is the most recent. 

4. The Florida Derby has produced 25 Kentucky Derby Winners over the years to rank as the most productive prep race on the Derby Trail, including 2023 victor MAGE, who in his last race prior to the KD finished 2nd in the Florida Derby. The Blue Grass Stakes and Champagne Stakes rank second with 23. 

5. Twenty-three times the Kentucky Derby Winner has gone wire-to-wire. The most recent being AUTHENTIC in 2020. 

6. Favorites have Won 56 of the previous 150 editions of the Kentucky Derby, according to the official media guide, including six straight from 2013 to 2018.

7. The Kentucky Derby has been decided by a Winning margin of a neck or less on 26 occasions and the Winning margin has been less than a length in 45 editions of the race. It was just last year when MYSTIK DAN edged SIERRA LEONE by a nose in a riveting three-horse photo-finish with FOREVER YOUNG.

8. The 2005 Kentucky Derby produced the record payout for all exotic wagers due to several massive longshots in the top four, led by 50-1 Winner GIACOMO. No one paid attention to runner-up CLOSING ARGUMENT either at odds of 71-1 odds and 4th-place finisher DON’T GET MAD was 29-1. The only logical runner to hit the board was 3rd-place finisher AFLEET ALEX who was the second betting choice at 9-2. As a result, the $1 Exacta paid $4,907.40, the $1 Trifecta returned a whopping $66,567.40, and the $1 Superfecta paid a life-alerting $864,253.

9. When RICH STRIKE Won the Kentucky Derby three years ago at odds of 80-1 he returned $163.60 for a $2 Win bet. That Win tally trails only the $184.90 a deuce paid on 1913 Derby Winner DONERAIL, who shocked those in attendance in Louisville at 94-1 odds.  

10. The record for (all sources) money wagered on Kentucky Derby day came last year when $320.5 million dollars was wagered on that card of races at Churchill Downs.