April 29, 2026 | Isaac Garcia | Sports Editor
The 2026 Kentucky Derby will take place Saturday, May 2, and will be the 152nd edition of the famous sporting event. The Derby is considered the pinnacle of the sport and brings many to the Churchill Downs horse racing complex in Louisville on the first weekend of May each year.
Churchill Downs is named for John and Henry Churchill, who leased the land on which the Downs would eventually be built to Meriwether Lewis Clark Jr., who was the grandson of William Clark, the famous explorer who journeyed into what is now the western region of the United States with Meriwether Lewis. Clark Jr. used the land to build a premier horse racing track and received $32,000 from a large group of local investors to fund the construction of the track, which is worth more than $960,000 today. The early days of the track were, of course, filled with drama. Four years after the track opened, Clark found himself in a dispute with horse breeder T.G. Moore over past-due entry fees. The dispute would boil over into Clark pulling a gun on Moore, who would then respond by finding a gun of his own and shooting Clark in the chest. Clark would survive the shooting and Moore would have all of his charges dropped. While one would assume Moore would be permanently banned from Churchill Downs, he was allowed back by Clark a year later.
Clark generally was not very well liked, and this included John Churchill himself, who stated in his will that Clark was not to actually own any of the land Churchill Downs stood on. Clark would fall on hard times financially in the 1890s and would give up his role in operating the Downs.
The Kentucky Derby is often referred to as “The Most Exciting Two Minutes in Sports,” due to the quick nature of the race, which is only 1 1/4 miles long, which doesn’t take long for a horse to cover. The fastest time ever recorded was Secretariat in 1973 at 1:59.4. The race was Secretariat’s first en route to a triple crown win, which is achieved when a horse wins the Preakness Stakes and Belmont Stakes in addition to the Kentucky Derby. Because the Derby is for thoroughbred, three-year-old horses only, there’s only one chance for a horse to compete at the Derby. After competing, horses usually transition into being show horses, are used for breeding other race horses or retire completely.
One other noteworthy tradition of the Derby is the eccentric outfits and hats worn by fans, which can be traced back to the 1900s. Truly, the outfits seen at the Kentucky Derby are a result of British influence on early horse racing culture, combining with Southern clothing styles. Over time, fashion became a part of the experience.
Last year, Sovereignty, along with trainer William Mott, won the Derby and completed two of the three legs needed to become triple crown winners. This year, the favorite to win the Derby is Renegade, jockeyed by Todd Pletcher, who has had horses win at Churchill Downs three times over his career and has won eight trainer of the year awards.
Contact the author at howlsports@wou.edu
