Kentucky Derby Tickets
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About Kentucky Derby
The Best of Horse Racing
Considered to be one of the biggest horse races in the world, the Kentucky Derby attracts fans and socialites alike to the track. The derby showcases some of the greatest horses and jockeys in all of horse racing. The first of three races in the Triple Crown, fans can get a preview of the top horses for the season. Grab your elaborate hats and head on down to Kentucky to witness horse racing history! Get your cheap Kentucky Derby tickets today!
The Run for Roses
The first ever Kentucky Derby was held on May 17, 1875 after the founding of the Louisville Jockey Club. Meriwether Lewis Clark Jr raised the money to build the track that would later become known as the Churchill Downs after visiting Europe and becoming fascinated with their derbies. The Derby features only three-year-old thoroughbreds and is exactly two kilometers in length and lasts approximately two minutes, earning it the title of "The Most Exciting Two Minutes in Sports." Along with the Preakness Stakes and the Belmont Stakes, the Kentucky Derby offers one of the highest purses in all of horse racing. In 1919 after a single horse and rider won all three races the term Triple Crown came to fruition. The media quickly picked up the term coining it across all outlets depicting it for only the best horses in the sport. Throughout the history of the derbies, only 15 horses out of 141 derbies have gone on to claim the Triple Crown Title.
With such a long rich history, the Kentucky Derby has become known for some of their longstanding traditions. From the food and drink, to the attire worn by those in attendance, there is no doubt that all of that adds to the atmosphere of the event. Every year since 1921 the horses are paraded through the grandstands before the race accompanied by the University of Louisville Cardinal Marching Band playing the song “My Old Kentucky Home”. Perhaps one of the oldest traditions of the derby is the blanket of red roses that is awarded to the winner after the race. This tradition dates to 1883 when at a post-derby party, a blanket of 554 red roses was gifted to ladies in attendance. The president of the track latched onto the idea and later that year made the rose the official flower of the race. Today the Governor of Kentucky awards the winner of the derby with both the rose blanket as well as the Kentucky Derby Trophy.
The Kentucky Derby is the greatest race in horse riding— find cheap tickets for this amazing spectacle now!
