The Kentucky Derby 2024 Preview: 150th edition of The Most Exciting Two Minutes in Sports

The Churchill Downs in Louisiana will welcome the 150th edition of “The Most Exciting Two Minutes in Sports”, as the Kentucky Derby is popularly described worldwide.

The Kentucky Derby has a rich history, with the event hosting uninterrupted since 1875. Through the years, this has become the most famous horse race in the USA, forming the Triple Crown, which includes the Preakness Stakes and the Belmont Stakes. Traditionally, it has been run annually every first Saturday in May, and this year is no exception, with Derby scheduled for 4th May.

The Kentucky Derby was never cancelled and was rescheduled just two times - in 1945 due to World War II and in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Both races were held in the same year, but in autumn.

The Kentucky Derby is run by three-year-old Thoroughbreds at a distance of 1+1⁄4 miles (10 furlongs; 2,012 metres).

Tradition

With its trademark mint juleps, elaborate hats that grace horse racing events worldwide, and the unique singing of “My Old Kentucky Home”, the Kentucky Derby holds a significant place in American culture.

That importance has held the race as it is today through tough times of worldwide crisis.

Attendance

Kentucky is popular with attendees as well as viewers on TV or online. In 2017, almost 160,000 people watched the Derby, making it the seventh biggest attendance in the history of the racetrack. In 2023, 14.8 million viewers tuned in on NBC, making it the most-watched sporting event and the most-watched show behind only the Academy Awards, since the Super Bowl in February.

Many famous people are drawn to Louisiana. Even the late HM Queen Elizabeth II joined the racegoers at the Churchill Downs in 2007 during her USA visit.

Betting Spectacle

The Kentucky Derby is also a betting spectacle. After Cheltenham Festival, Aintree, and the Dubai World Cup, this is another Grade I race where big wins are up for grabs.

The race reported a total of wagering of almost 210 million from all sources on all the races of the Kentucky Derby program in 2017.

Kentucky Derby in Numbers

Approximately 15 million people will watch the Kentucky Derby just in the USA.

The purse for the 2023 winner was 3 million USD. The race was won by Mage, trained by Gustavo Delgado and ridden by Javier Castellano. For the 150th edition, the total purse is an impressive 5,000,000 USD. That is a staggering 66% increase compared to the previous year. In addition, it's 3,000,000 more than the prize for the rest of the Triple Crown races.

3,100,000 will go to the winning horse, marking the highest payout in Derby history. The second-place finisher will also walk away with 1,000,000, while the third-place finisher will receive 500,000.

As the 150th edition of the 2024 Kentucky Derby is filled with an incredible lineup, from Sierra Leone to Fierceness, Forever Young, and others, with million-dollar stakes, race day is set to open the Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing on a high note.

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