Churchill Downs Kentucky Derby records and stats

This week marks the 152nd Kentucky Derby race — the primary of three horse races that make up the Triple Crown. On Saturday, 20 horses will line up at Churchill Downs in Louisville to run the 1.25-mile observe in what the Derby calls “the most exciting two minutes in sports.” Here are 5 statistics concerning the Kentucky Derby. Fastest winnersJust two horses out of 151 winners have accomplished the race in lower than two minutes — Secretariat in 1973 and Monarchos in 2001. One horse, Northern Dancer, did full the 1 1/4-mile observe in precisely two minutes. After Secretariat’s file time of 1 minute and 59.4 seconds, the horse went on to win the Preakness Stakes in Baltimore and the Belmont Stakes in New York, finishing the Triple Crown that solely 13 horses have gained. Post place Post positions are the randomly drawn beginning spots for as many as 20 horses competing within the Kentucky Derby. These spots begin at 1 on the within and go to twenty on the surface. If 20 horses are on the sphere, every submit has a 5% likelihood of being the beginning place for a winner. Post place 20 has technically had the best share of wins at 10.5%. However, that’s two wins out of simply the 19 instances it has been used. Post 5 has the second-highest profitable charge at 10.4% and has been used for all 96 years that the Kentucky Derby has used the beginning gate. The worst-performing submit place is 17, which, out of its 46 horses beginning there, has by no means been the beginning spot for a Kentucky Derby winner. JockeysOnly two jockeys have gained the Kentucky Derby 5 instances: Eddie Arcaro and Bill Hartack.John Velazquez, who’s racing Further Ado this yr, is likely one of the jockeys with three Kentucky Derby wins. MarginsJust 23 horses have gained by 4 or extra lengths of a horse in Kentucky Derby historical past. Of these, the biggest profitable margin was 8 lengths gained 4 instances, in response to the Kentucky Derby. These horses are Old Rosebud in 1914, Johnstown in 1939, Whirlaway in 1941, and Assault in 1946.The fifth-largest profitable margin was 6 3/4 lengths gained by Mine That Bird in 2009, which was additionally the final time a horse gained by 4 or extra lengths.Ten horses have gained by the smallest margin — by a unknown. Seven have gained by a head, 9 by a neck and 12 by a half-length. BirthplaceKentucky is the main birthplace for Derby winners. More than 77% of Kentucky Derby winners had been born within the state, which can also be accountable for almost all of North American foals.Almost 65% of foals born in 2024 in North America had been in Kentucky, in response to knowledge from the Jockey Club.