Countdown to
Kentucky Derby
The most exciting two minutes in sports
Today is Kentucky Derby.
180 days until Kentucky Derby, on Saturday, May 1, 2027.
Kentucky Derby is Saturday, May 1, 2027. Happens the first Saturday of May.
The Kentucky Derby is the crown jewel of American horse racing: a mile-and-a-quarter race for three-year-old Thoroughbreds, run every year on the first Saturday in May at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky. It lasts about two minutes, yet it draws a crowd of more than 150,000 and an audience of millions who tune in for a single, decisive burst of speed.
Origins and history
The Derby was founded by Meriwether Lewis Clark Jr., who came home from Europe inspired by England’s Epsom Derby and France’s Grand Prix de Paris and set out to build a signature race for Kentucky. The first running took place on May 17, 1875, before a crowd of about 10,000. Aristides won that inaugural race, ridden by Oliver Lewis and trained by Ansel Williamson, both African American, in an era when Black horsemen dominated the sport.
Originally contested at a mile and a half, the race was shortened to its current 1.25 miles in 1896. Over more than 150 years it has become the oldest continuously held major sporting event in the country, and the first leg of the Triple Crown, ahead of the Preakness and Belmont Stakes. Its enduring benchmark is Secretariat’s 1973 run of 1:59.40, a record that has never been beaten.
How it’s observed
More than the race itself, the Derby is a day of ritual. Spectators arrive in their finest spring attire, and the wide-brimmed hat has become the event’s visual signature. The mint julep, bourbon poured over crushed ice and mint, is the drink of the day, served by the tens of thousands across the Oaks and Derby weekend. Just before the horses reach the starting gate, the crowd rises to sing “My Old Kentucky Home.”
The winner is led to the winner’s circle and draped in a garland of roughly 400 red roses, the tradition that gives the Derby its nickname, the Run for the Roses. The day before, Churchill Downs hosts the Kentucky Oaks for three-year-old fillies, and the two races together anchor a weekend that fills Louisville.
Far beyond the track, the Derby anchors watch parties, themed dinners, and friendly wagers wherever people gather around a screen. You do not need a ticket to Churchill Downs to take part, only a hat, a julep, and a favorite in the field.
🏇 Fun facts about Kentucky Derby
- Secretariat's 1973 winning time of 1:59.40 still stands as the fastest Kentucky Derby ever run.
- Aristides won the inaugural 1875 Derby under Oliver Lewis, one of thirteen Black jockeys among the fifteen riders that day.
- The race was run at 1.5 miles from 1875 until 1896, when it was shortened to its current 1.25 miles.
- The winner is draped in a garland of roughly 400 red roses, the source of the nickname 'Run for the Roses.'
- Founder Meriwether Lewis Clark Jr. was the grandson of William Clark of the Lewis and Clark expedition.
Upcoming Kentucky Derby dates
| Date | Days away |
|---|---|
| 180 days | |
| 551 days | |
| 915 days | |
| 1,279 days | |
| 1,643 days |
How people mark Kentucky Derby
- Mint juleps
- Elaborate hats and fascinators
- Singing 'My Old Kentucky Home'
- The garland of roses
- Infield gatherings and watch parties
- Placing a wager on the field
Frequently asked
What day is the Kentucky Derby?
The Kentucky Derby is always run on the first Saturday in May, so it lands between May 1 and 7.
Where is the Kentucky Derby held?
It has been run at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky, since its founding in 1875, making it the longest continuously held major sporting event in the United States.
Why is it called 'the most exciting two minutes in sports'?
The 1.25-mile race is typically decided in about two minutes, packing a full contest into a very short, intense window.
How does the Derby fit into the Triple Crown?
The Derby is the first of three races in American Thoroughbred racing's Triple Crown, followed by the Preakness Stakes and the Belmont Stakes.