Interesting Facts about KY Derby - The Run for the Roses

Kentucky Derby season officially here on the first Saturday in May 2013 is not far off, and in 2013 the operation of Run for the Roses will be the 139th consecutive year in which the race has been run, there is certainly no shortage of the KY Derby facts and interesting tidbits pieces of information about the race. In an attempt to satisfy your curiosity intense racing fans that grabs you at this time each year, about the first Kentucky Derby (do not worry, it happens to us as well), we thought we'd share with you the range of the above facts with you.

Kentucky Derby was first run 17 May 1875. You may be surprised to learn that, apparently, the first derby was not started on the first Saturday in May (this tradition came later). In addition, the familiar distance of 1 & 1/4 miles, or 10 steps, was not part of the first Kentucky Derby. It was launched at the same distance that the current rate of work at Belmont, which are a full 12 steps or miles. Currently, the distance of a mile and a quarter, was not adopted until 1896, and it has remained the same ever since.

Connection to the Civil War fame links first Run for the Roses (the nickname is, in itself, an anachronism, a bouquet of red roses was not introduced to the winner of the race until 1896, so the first 21 times Run for the Roses was held not to run for roses!) with a bloody conflict that was concluded only ten years earlier (in April 1865). Although he was not actually in attendance on the day the U.S. president first Kentucky Derby was none other tha
Ulysses S. Grant ("S" did not stand for anything, it was given to him by mistake!). Grant, of course, was a colonel-general, commander of the entire Union Army during the last two and a half years of the bloodiest conflict in the history of the United States, and was the General that he took the surrender of Robert E. Lee of the Confederate army at Appomattox Court House April 9, 1865, just five days before President Abraham Lincoln, widely believed historians to be the greatest of all American presidents, was killed by John Wilkes Booth at Ford's Theater.

Name the horse that won the first KY Derby was Aristides, who also won the withers rates and disabled Jerome this year. He was a chestnut colt, finished his career with a reduced 9 wins, 5 places and 1 show in 21 starts at a time when horses raced more often and to a greater distance than they do now. Field for the 139th Kentucky Derby will be the maximum number of 20 thoroughbred race horses, but when Aristide began kicking the story in the first Kentucky Derby, he won in a field of 15 horses, including himself. African-American coach, Ansel Williamson, and African American jockey Oliver Lewis, combined to lead thi
Aristides to victory at Churchill Downs.

Hal McGrath was the owner of the two horses that were entered in the race, Aristide and the Chesapeake. McGrath only Aristide came to Derby as the rabbit is expected to set a fast pace early in the race, which will then create the second half of the race for the Chesapeake, to win. During the race, as Aristide was in the front area and increase his lead, jockey Lewis looked at McGrath, because he knew that he was not to win the race. But McGrath saw that Chesapeake was uncertain, not moving, and so McGrath Lewis urged Aristide to keep pushing to win. He was challenged on the site, but had to win by length. Thus, the first Kentucky Derby winner is not even supposed to win.