First Kentucky Derby - May 17, 1875

On this day in 1875, the first Kentucky Derby was held in Louisville. Learn more about the derby at https://www.missedinhistory.com/podcasts/kentucky-derby-50-years.htm 

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
This Day in History Class is a production of I
Heart Radio. What's Up? Everyone? Welcome to This Day in
History Class, where we bring you a new tidbit from
history every day. Today is May seventeen nineteen. The day

(00:23):
was May seventeen, eighteen seventy five. The Kentucky Derby, a
popular horse race held annually in Louisville, Kentucky, had its
big debut more than a century after its creation. The
Kentucky Derby draws crowds of hundreds of thousands of people
and offers three million dollars in prize money. Though it's

(00:44):
not clear exactly where horse racing originated, it is clear
that it has been around for thousands of years. Even
though horses were extinct for a while in the America's,
Europeans reintroduced them on the continent in the fifteenth century.
Thoroughbreds are a breed of horse bread specifically for racing
and jumping, that can be traced back to horses that

(01:06):
were imported to England in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries.
Since then, the English Thoroughbred has been introduced to countries
around the world for racing or improving other breeds. The
introduction of thoroughbreds led to the creation of thoroughbred only races.
In seventeen eighty, the first running of the Derby at
Epsom Downs and Surrey, England, took place. A Derby is

(01:29):
usually restricted to three year old thoroughbreds. The Derby was
named after Edwards Stanley, the twelfth Earl of Derby, and
the Kentucky Derby, in turn was named after the Epsom Derby.
While Merriweather Louis Clark, explorer William Clark's grandson was in
England in the eighteen seventy two, he attended the Derby

(01:51):
and hung out with the French Jockey Club, which had
developed a different horse race. By this time. The Derby
was a huge social gathering where pepe of the aristocracy
and working class alike spent time gambling, playing games, and
essentially partying. When Clark went back to the US, he
was set on creating a horse race of his own.

(02:12):
Clark's family home was in Louisville, Kentucky. Horse breeding and
horse racing were already part of the city and countries culture,
and race tracks were popping up. Clark's uncle's John and
Henry Churchill, gave him land to build a race track,
and Clark solicited subscription memberships to get money to build
a stable, a clubhouse, a grandstand, and the porter's lodge.

(02:35):
The land became known as Churchill Downs, and the local
race fans who raised money to build the racetrack became
the Louisville Jockey Club. On May seventeen, eighteen seventy five,
the Louisville Jockey Club and Driving Park hosted its first
Kentucky Derby. About ten thousand people attended that first Kentucky Derby.

(02:55):
They watched fifteen three year old thoroughbreds run a mile
and a half. Oliver Lewis and his horse, a chestnut
Thoroughbred name Aristides, won the race in a little more
than two minutes in thirty seven seconds. Louis got two thousand,
eight hundred and fifty dollars in prize money, though he
did not race in the Kentucky Derby again and moved

(03:16):
on to work in training and bookmaking. Louis, along with
twelve other jockeys and many of the trainers at the
eighteen seventy five Kentucky Derby were black. There was a
kind of class division in the Kentucky Derby set up.
The grandstand and clubhouse were pretty upity and had a
dress code, while the infield was less subject to upper

(03:36):
class scrutiny. Also, the betting stand was deemed an inappropriate
place for women. Still, the event attracted a lot of
people who were into horse races and others who came
for the camaraderie. But as a century was coming to
a close, the Kentucky Derby was not doing so well financially,
so the Louisville Jockey Club got new owners and the

(03:58):
track and race were revamped. Clark died in Over the
next decades the Kentucky Derby's facilities and image were updated.
For a while women had separate seating and the grand
stand away from the betting stand. Over all, the Kentucky
Derby was and still is a very male dominated event. Also,

(04:20):
the increasing popularity of the black jockeys led them to
systemically being pushed out of the Kentucky Derby. In addition
to this, the Kentucky Derby has faced criticism over the
treatment of animals involved. A number of traditions have become
part of the Kentucky Derby experience, like the mint Juluk
and the awarding of roses to the winner. The Kentucky

(04:41):
Derby is the first leg of the United States Triple Crown,
the title given to horses who win the Kentucky Derby,
Preakness Stakes and Belmont Stakes. I'm Eve Steff Coo and
hopefully you know a little more about history today than
you did yesterday. If you'd like to learn more about
the Kentucky Derby, listen to the episode of Stuff You
Missed in History class titled the Kentucky Derby's First fifty Years. Also,

(05:07):
I would like to note that Derby is pronounced Derby
in the United States, but in Britain is pronounced Derby.
You can find us on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook at
t d I h C podcast. Thanks again for listening,
and I hope you come back tomorrow for more delicious

(05:28):
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