# Canonical recap data for Kentucky Derby Inaugural Race (1875)
# Source: https://recap.at/1875/kentucky-derby-1875
# Format: YAML 1.2 (UTF-8). Generated at request time.
slug: kentucky-derby-1875
canonicalUrl: "https://recap.at/1875/kentucky-derby-1875"
title: Kentucky Derby Inaugural Race
aliases:
- Run for the Roses
- The Derby
- Churchill Downs Classic
subtitle: The first Kentucky Derby established American horse racing as a major sporting tradition and created the oldest continuously held sporting event in the United States.
recapType: global_event
eventStatus: concluded
startDate: 1875-01-01
datePrecision: year
year: 1875
decade: 1870
country:
name: United States
slug: united-states
summaryShort: The Kentucky Derby is an American Grade I stakes race run at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky. The race is run by three-year-old Thoroughbreds at a distance of 1+1⁄4 miles. Colts and geldings carry 126 pounds and fillies 121 pounds.
summaryLong: The Kentucky Derby is an American Grade I stakes race run at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky. The race is run by three-year-old Thoroughbreds at a distance of 1+1⁄4 miles. Colts and geldings carry 126 pounds and fillies 121 pounds.
lede: "On May 17, 1875, the first Kentucky Derby was run at Churchill Downs in Louisville—a 1¼-mile horse race that would become America's most prestigious thoroughbred event. Aristides won that inaugural running in 2:37¾, establishing a tradition that persists 150 years later, making it the longest continuously held sporting event in the United States."
heroImageUrl: "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/84/Kentucky_Derby_race%2C_Louisville%2C_Kentucky.jpg/1280px-Kentucky_Derby_race%2C_Louisville%2C_Kentucky.jpg"
heroImageCredit: Wikipedia · "Kentucky Derby"
importance: 84
sourceConfidence: 75
keyFacts:
- label: Winner
  value: Aristides
- label: Date
  value: May 17, 1875
- label: Venue
  value: Churchill Downs, Louisville, Kentucky
- label: Distance
  value: 1¼ miles
- label: Winning Time
  value: "2:37¾"
- label: Attendance
  value: Approximately 10,000
- label: Field Size
  value: 15 starters
- label: Prize Purse
  value: $2,850
timeline:
- date: 1874-11-15
  title: Churchill Downs Opens
  description: The racetrack opens in Louisville under the ownership of Meriwether Lewis Clark Jr., who envisions a signature sporting event for the region.
- date: 1875-05-17
  title: Inaugural Kentucky Derby
  description: "Aristides, ridden by jockey Oliver Lewis, wins the first Kentucky Derby in 2:37¾ over a field of 15 three-year-old thoroughbreds."
- date: 1884-01-01
  title: Derby Becomes Grade I Stakes
  description: The race is formally recognized as a Grade I stakes race, establishing its position atop American thoroughbred racing hierarchy.
- date: 1931-05-16
  title: First Radio Broadcast
  description: The Kentucky Derby receives its first national radio broadcast, expanding its reach beyond Louisville.
- date: 1952-05-03
  title: First Television Broadcast
  description: CBS broadcasts the Kentucky Derby live on television for the first time, bringing the race into American homes nationwide.
sources:
- url: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kentucky_Derby"
  title: Kentucky Derby
  provider: Wikipedia
related: []
impactStatement: The 1875 Kentucky Derby launched what would become a defining American sporting institution and a crown jewel of the thoroughbred racing calendar. Its establishment reflected the post-Civil War South's embrace of organized sport as a vehicle for regional prestige and economic activity. The race's longevity—unbroken since its first running—gives it claim to being the oldest continuously held sporting event in the U.S.
categories:
- sports
- festival
metaDescription: "The first Kentucky Derby, May 17, 1875: Aristides wins in 2:37¾ at Churchill Downs, founding an American racing tradition."
wikidataQid: Q1141795
taxonomy:
domain: sports
eventTypes:
- tournament
canonicalClasses:
- competition
- celebration
impactRadius: global
velocity: sudden
predictability: scheduled
intentionality: planned
domainCoupling: single_domain
archiveSnapshots:
- url: "https://web.archive.org/web/20260608200244/https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kentucky_Derby"
  capturedAt: 2026-06-08
  label: Kentucky Derby
  originalUrl: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kentucky_Derby"
