Kentucky Derby Countdown:
28 Days Until May 3rd and the 134th Kentucky Derby
The Kentucky Derby Big Show
Tradition + College Students = Thoroughbred Horse Racing Super Bowl
You know you're from Kentucky if half your friends are spending the first Saturday in May going wild in the infield or parading around in over-sized hats with mint juleps in hand.
Secretariat raced it in one minute and 59 seconds in 1973. Last year, Street Sense raced it in a little over two minutes.
This May, Kentucky Derby favorites Pyro and Big Brown, along with 15 other contenders, hope to steal the coveted blanket of roses during the world's most famous two-minutes of horse racing.
"Growing up in Louisville, it's a must to go," Lauren Allard, sophomore from Louisville, Ky., said. "For me, it's a homecoming when I go back to Louisville for the Derby. I went to the Derby a few years ago. I loved seeing everyone dressed up where I saw many ridiculous and elaborate hats."
The 2008 Kentucky Derby will be held Saturday May 1 under the twin spires at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky.
As a tradition since 1875, 10 to 15 three-year-old horses will race 1.4 miles down a dirt track.
The winning horse will receive a purse of $2 million. Derby Day is preceded by The Oaks, a horse race exclusively for thoroughbred fillies.
Rest of the Story
Just like Football's Super Bowl, you don't have to be a fan of the sport to be caught up in all the talk and enthusiasm leading up to the most exciting 2 minutes in sports.
Rest assured, serious horse race handicappers are already studying the contenders for this year. [See 26 March 2008 Post]
Visit Horse Race Handicapping College for more information.
