Kentucky Derby History and Facts

With the Kentucky Derby this weekend, thought I'd throw some history and facts out there for you. 

Did you know that no horse has won the Triple Crown since Affirmed did it in 1978 and only 11 have ever won it in the last 90 years. Horse racing’s Triple Crown is often called the toughest challenge in sports and it has hundreds of failures to back up that claim. No horse has won Louisville's Kentucky Derby, Baltimore's Preakness Stakes and New York's Belmont Stakes since 1978, a 29- year drought.

• Held annually on the first Saturday of May.
• The Kentucky Derby horse race has been ran at Churchill Downs since 1875.
• Called "The Most Exciting Two Minutes in Sports."
• The Louisville, Kentucky race is part of the Triple Crown of horse racing.
• It is the most prestigious race in the sport of horse racing.
• Features 3-year-old thoroughbreds.
• The 1¼-mile race is also known as the "Run for the Roses."
• The unofficial drink of the Kentucky Derby is the Mint Julep. Consisting of bourbon, sugar syrup and mint, the iced drink is served most notably in a souvenir glass available with all previous winners printed on the cup.
• The Kentucky Derby earned its nickname "Run for the Roses" because of the blanket of 554 red roses traditionally awarded to the winner after the race.
• Covering 147 acres, Churchill Downs, where the Derby is ran, is among the most famous sporting venues in the world.
• It has a seating capacity of over 165,000 people.
• The fastest Kentucky Derby ever ran was by Secretariat in 1973. The Triple Crown-winning horse ran the 1¼ miles in 1 minute 59 seconds. the first Kentucky Derby was ran in 2 minutes 27 seconds.
• The Derby was first nationally televised in 1952. Two years later, the prize purse for the winning team first exceed $100,000.
• Churchill Downs was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1986

Will you watch the Derby on tv this year?