The 138th "Run for the Roses" is here with each horse carrying just 126 pounds, the post position drawn, and a field of 20 horses plus one. Yes, the best two minutes in sports is imminent, and the expectation grows by the minute. The plus one horse, My Adonis will participate in the race, if any horse has been scratched before the official wagering for the Saturday card starts on Friday at 9:00 a.m. ET.
Kentucky Derby - The best two minutes in sports
The 138th "Run for the Roses" is here with each horse carrying just 126 pounds, the post position drawn, a field of 20 horses and the expectation grows by the minute.
According to reports, Bodemeister was made the morning line favorite at 4/1. Union Rags at 9/2 and unbeaten, Todd Pletcher-trainee Gemologist at 6/1 are the next two choices. Bodemeister is likely to become the first horse in 130 years to win the Derby without having raced as a two-year-old. Apollo was the last one to do so in 1883.
With 20 starters the Derby will be worth $2,219,600. This means that the winner will take home a whooping first prize of $1,459,600. Second place takes $400,000; third place $200,000; fourth place $100,000 and fifth place $60,000.
Is this the year when the Kentucky Derby winner becomes the Triple Crown winner, ending a streak of 33 years?
The Derby is the first of three races in horse racing's 'Triple Crown,' meant to determine the top three year-old horse in any given year. It's followed by the Preakness Stakes two weeks later in Baltimore, then the Belmont Stakes in New York on June 9.
The last time a thoroughbred won all three races in the same year was 1978, when jockey Steve Cauthen rode Affirmed to the Triple Crown.
While the 1 1/4-mile race known is the main attraction, the scene on race day can still be a colorful throwback to the horse races of the European aristocracy with plenty of food, mint juleps to drink, natty attire for gentlemen, and elaborate floral hats for the ladies.
The classic Kentucky Derby beverage is the mint julep. Traditionally, the mix of mint leaf, bourbon, sugar and water is served in a silver or pewter cup, though most modern julep fans get their drink in a mere glass. At Churchill Downs, a mint julep will cost you $11.
In other words, the Kentucky Derby has something for everyone, making it one of the most-watched spectacles of all times with an international audience of millions watching online and on TV, as well as those who see the race in person.