Kentucky Derby: The Greatest Two Minutes in Sports History

The Kentucky Derby was certainly a big thing for the small town of Churchill Downs. Loc.gov states, “Popular rider Oliver Lewis rode thoroughbred Aristides to victory in the first Kentucky Derby on May 17, 1875, at the Louisville Jockey Club.” The Kentucky Derby was created to raise money to build Churchill Downs. It consists of at least 20 horses racing a long track of 1 mile with around 150,000 spectators waving their flags.

As surprising as it may sound, a big culture is set around the Kentucky Derby. It is always set on the first Saturday of May and people dressing up is a tradition. Traditionally, women would wear big, fancy hats while the men would wear colorful suits. The Kentucky Derby is hard to get into, with around $1,000-$7,000 per ticket. Many people have watched on TV or heard of the Kentucky Derby. For example, after interviewing 12 people, 1 person has been to the Kentucky Derby, 6 have watched it, and 12 have heard of it.

The Kentucky Derby in 2023 was certainly an entertaining race with a couple of upsets and some very happy spectators in the crowd. Overall, Javier Castellano ended up winning on their thoroughbred racehorse named Mage. (He/she) stated to reporters that, “I’m thankful for my family and for everybody believing in me and giving support in my career for so many years. It’s not an easy job and we all go up and down.”