
The Governor of Kentucky with his entourage at Churchill Downs in 1901

Clark's uncles, John & Henry Churchill, donated the land for a racetrack in Louisville, Kentucky and on May 17th, 1875, the first Kentucky Derby was run at Churchill Downs.

Oliver Lewis

Jockey Oliver Lewis won the first Derby on Aristides. In fact, 13 of the 15 jockeys were African-American. At this time, horse racing was the most popular sport in the U.S. and African-Americans were the superstars of horse racing, winning 15 of the first 28 runnings of the Kentucky Derby.
1896 fashion for the Kentucky Derby

Even in the early days of the Derby, fashion was important - just like the Epsom Derby in the United Kingdom.

Coming down the stretch in 1901.
The 1920 Derby

A blanket of 554 red roses is draped over each winner of the Kentucky Derby - giving rise to another nickname "The Run for the Roses." The tradition originated in 1883 when a New York socialite presented roses to ladies at a post-Derby party that Meriwether Lewis Clark, Jr. attended.
Retired Thoroughbred Man O' War. Dying at the age of 30, Man O'War is considered to be the best racehorse of all time. With a stride of 28 feet, he won 20 of his 21 races. While he never ran in the Derby, he is the ancestor of many Derby winners.
Secretariat

The first Triple Crown winner in 25 years, he is often ranked second in racing history to Man O' War. A movie was made about him in 2010.
There's more to the Derby than racing



1930's
And betting

In the early 20th century, bookies took bets and tracked them by hand. This bookie in 1941 Warrenton Virginia is figuring out the odds for the Derby.