Kentucky Derby Place

Authentic wins 2020 Kentucky Derby, ends Tiz the Law's Triple Crown hopes. Authentic denies heavy favorite Tiz the Law a shot at the Triple Crown by outlasting a homestretch battle to win the 2020 Kentucky Derby. This was the 200th Grade I stakes victory for Authentic's jockey John Velazquez and his third Kentucky Derby win. Kentucky Derby race results, winners and past history. Previous winners include Big Brown (2008), Street Sense (2007), Barbaro (2006), Smarty Jones (2004), and Secretariat (1973).

On May 16, 1925, the first live radio broadcast of the Kentucky Derby aired on WHAS as well as on WGN in Chicago. On May 7, 1949, the first television coverage of the Kentucky Derby took place, produced by WAVE-TV, the NBC affiliate in Louisville. This coverage was aired live in the Louisville market and sent to NBC as a kinescope newsreel.

Jockey Kent Desormeaux urges Silver Tree past Giant Wrecker for a win by a neck in the Oceanport Stakes at Monmouth Park in West Long Branch, New Jersey on Haskell Invitational Day. Silver Tree clipped .36 seconds off the track record previously held by Giant Wrecker for the 1 1/16 miles course. (Photo by Scott Serio/Icon SMI/Icon Sport Media via Getty Images)

Thoroughbred connections already have their eyes set on the 2021 Kentucky Derby. Strong performances in 2021 Kentucky Derby prep races will earn valuable points towards entry for the 145th Run for the Roses. Over the weekend, Helium upset the field at the Tampa Bay Derby as a 15-1 long shot and now has his sights set on the Kentucky Derby 2021 on May 1. Also over the weekend, Weyburn took down the Gotham Stakes as a mammoth 46-1 underdog, while Life is Good, trained by Bob Baffert, won the San Felipe Stakes. Which horses should be part of your 2021 Kentucky Derby bets?

Breeders' Cup Juvenile winner Essential Quality is the 7-2 favorite in the early 2021 Kentucky Derby odds, followed closely by Life is Good at 4-1 and Greatest Honor at 6-1. The field, or every other horse not listed, is going off at 10-1. With so much to consider, you'll want to see what SportsLine's Jody Demling has to say before entering any 2021 Kentucky Derby picks and predictions of your own.

A fixture in the horse racing world who has been writing about, talking about and betting on races for years, Demling enters the 2021 Kentucky Derby on a major heater: At one point last year, he picked the winners of six straight races: the Saudi Cup, Gotham Stakes, Rebel Stakes, Louisiana Derby, Florida Derby and Belmont Stakes.

This is the same handicapper who hit the Derby-Oaks double at Churchill Downs nine times in the last 12 years. That means he held a ticket with the winners of both the Kentucky Oaks and Kentucky Derby all but three times in his last 12 tries.

He opened last season's Triple Crown schedule on a heater too. At last year's Belmont, Demling said Tiz the Law was clearly the class of the field, and Barclay Tagg's horse pulled away for a convincing 3 3/4-length victory. Anyone who has followed him is up huge.

Now, with the 2021 Kentucky Derby lineup taking shape, Demling is sharing his picks and predictions at SportsLine. Go here to see them.

Top 2021 Kentucky Derby predictions

One shocker: Demling is fading Essential Quality, even though that horse is going off as one of the top Vegas favorites and won the Breeders' Cup Juvenile. In fact, he says Essential Quality doesn't even crack the top five. It isn't so much that the horse doesn't show promising signs, but Demling points out that 'anything in single-digit odds is just too low two months out.' The son of Tapit out of Delightful Quality, Essential Quality is trained by Brad Cox and owned by the Godolphin LLC group.

Essential Quality only knows the winner's circle so far in his young career, winning his maiden special weight debut at Churchill Downs last September, taking the Breeders' Futurity and Breeders' Cup Juvenile at Keeneland, and winning the Southwest Stakes last weekend. Still, there's plenty of other value to consider in the 2021 Kentucky Derby lineup.

Another curveball: Demling is high on Medina Spirit, even though he's a massive 30-1 long shot. He's a target for anyone looking for a huge payday.

The Bob Baffert-trained colt started the year with a strong second-place run in the one-mile Sham Stakes on Jan. 1. He then stretched out to 1 1/16 miles at the Robert B. Lewis Stakes on Jan. 30 and held off fellow 2021 Kentucky Derby contenders Roman Centurian and Hot Rod Charlie to pick up the win in 1.46.26.

That run caught Demling's eye. He told SportsLine that Medina Spirit 'could be the best of the Baffert bunch' and 'might have the best odds' at this point with several 2021 Kentucky Derby prep races still to come. At 30-1, Medina Spirit is a complete steal, making him one of the horses you should be all over in your 2021 Kentucky Derby bets.

How to make 2021 Kentucky Derby picks, bets

Demling is especially high on a long shot who is 'hard not to play' at his current price. Demling is sharing which horse it is, along with his entire projected leaderboard, over at SportsLine.

Which horse wins the Kentucky Derby 2021? And what huge long shot does Demling say contends? Check out the latest 2021 Kentucky Derby odds below, then visit SportsLine to see Demling's picks for the Kentucky Derby.

Essential Quality 7-2

Life Is Good 4-1

Greatest Honour 6-1

Caddo River 15-1

Mandaloun 15-1

Concert Tour 20-1

Highly Motivated 20-1

Prevalence 20-1

Proxy 20-1

Spielberg 20-1

Candy Man Rocket 30-1

Collaborate 30-1

Dream Shake 30-1

Freedom Fighter 30-1

Hot Rod Charlie 30-1

Keepmeinmind 30-1

Medina Spirit 30-1

Midnight Bourbon 30-1

Risk Taking 30-1

Roman Centurian 50-1

Hush of a Storm 50-1

Rombauer 50-1

The Great One 50-1

Field 10-1

Our editors will review what you've submitted and determine whether to revise the article.

Kentucky Derby, the most-prestigious American horse race, established in 1875 and run annually on the first Saturday in May at Churchill Downs racetrack, Louisville, Kentucky. With the Preakness Stakes (run in mid-May) and the Belmont Stakes (early in June), it makes up American Thoroughbred racing's coveted Triple Crown. The Derby field is limited to three-year-olds and, since 1975, to 20 horses; fillies carry 121 pounds (55 kg) and colts 126 pounds (57 kg). The race distance was reduced in 1896 from 1.5 miles (about 2,400 metres) to its present 1.25 miles (about 2,000 metres). In the early 21st century it was one of the most-popular single-day spectator events in the world, attracting some 150,000 spectators to Churchill Downs annually.

Kentucky Derby Place Odds

Greatest Honour 6-1

Caddo River 15-1

Mandaloun 15-1

Concert Tour 20-1

Highly Motivated 20-1

Prevalence 20-1

Proxy 20-1

Spielberg 20-1

Candy Man Rocket 30-1

Collaborate 30-1

Dream Shake 30-1

Freedom Fighter 30-1

Hot Rod Charlie 30-1

Keepmeinmind 30-1

Medina Spirit 30-1

Midnight Bourbon 30-1

Risk Taking 30-1

Roman Centurian 50-1

Hush of a Storm 50-1

Rombauer 50-1

The Great One 50-1

Field 10-1

Our editors will review what you've submitted and determine whether to revise the article.

Kentucky Derby, the most-prestigious American horse race, established in 1875 and run annually on the first Saturday in May at Churchill Downs racetrack, Louisville, Kentucky. With the Preakness Stakes (run in mid-May) and the Belmont Stakes (early in June), it makes up American Thoroughbred racing's coveted Triple Crown. The Derby field is limited to three-year-olds and, since 1975, to 20 horses; fillies carry 121 pounds (55 kg) and colts 126 pounds (57 kg). The race distance was reduced in 1896 from 1.5 miles (about 2,400 metres) to its present 1.25 miles (about 2,000 metres). In the early 21st century it was one of the most-popular single-day spectator events in the world, attracting some 150,000 spectators to Churchill Downs annually.

Kentucky Derby Place Odds

Records

With five Kentucky Derby wins apiece, jockeys Eddie Arcaro and Bill Hartack share the record for most Derbies won over the course of a career. Though the Derby is often called 'the most exciting two minutes in sports,' only two horses have officially finished the race in under two minutes. The course record was set in 1973 by Secretariat, who finished in 1:59 ²/₅. (The runner-up in that race, Sham, finished two and a half lengths behind Secretariat, which some observers believe meant that he also broke two minutes, but only winners' times were then recorded.) The second horse to surpass the two-minute mark was Monarchos, who won the 2001 Derby in a computer-timed 1:59.97.

Kentucky Derby Website

The largest margin of victory for a Derby winner is eight lengths, which has been achieved four times, most recently by Assault in 1946. Ben Jones trained a record six Kentucky Derby winners, most of them for Calumet Farm, which won eight Kentucky Derbies between 1941 and 1968. The greatest upset in Derby history occurred in 1913, when Donerail won at odds of 91–1. The first filly to win the Kentucky Derby was Regret in 1915; Genuine Risk (1980) and Winning Colors (1988) are the only other fillies to have won.

History

The Kentucky Derby is one of dozens of 'Derbies'—a term that dates to the 18th century and is used, typically, to describe a race for three-year-old horses—contested annually in the United States and around the world. It is Kentucky—along with its associated mythology, imagery, and history—that makes the Kentucky Derby special. Kentucky's reputation as a place uniquely suited to producing top racehorses because of its natural abundance can be traced as far back as 1784, when John Filson published The Discovery, Settlement, and Present State of Kentucke. Although horses did not figure prominently in his book, Filson described in glowing terms the landscape, climate, and natural resources of what are now the eastern and central parts of the state.

The history of horse racing in Louisville predates Kentucky's admission to the United States, in 1792, by about a decade: from at least 1783, problems associated with open racing in the downtown area led city leaders to promote the construction of formal racetracks. Particularly influential in the history of Louisville racing was Meriwether Lewis Clark, Jr., the grandson of legendary explorer William Clark. In 1872 Clark traveled to Europe, where he met the foremost figures in horse racing there and developed the idea of establishing a jockey club in Louisville to sponsor races and highlight the city's champion racing stock. In 1874 he established a racetrack on land owned by his uncles, John and Henry Churchill, for whom the track would eventually be named. The track officially opened on May 17, 1875, and the first Derby (one of four races at the track that day) was won by Aristides. The track's famed grandstand, completed in 1895, is crowned by twin spires that have become a recognized emblem of the Kentucky Derby and Churchill Downs.

In the course of the Derby's long history, many cultural and social conflicts have played out on the grounds of Churchill Downs. In the 1930s, during the Great Depression, gate jumping became widespread, and at times police resorted to violence in order to prevent unauthorized access. (Violence also occurred on the racetrack in 1933 when the jockeys of the winning horse, Brokers Tip, and the runner-up, Head Play, engaged in horseback fisticuffs as their mounts galloped toward the finish line, in what would become known as the 'Fighting Finish.') Race relations in the United States have also been reflected in African Americans' participation in the Derby. In the 1870s, when the race debuted, Black jockeys dominated organized racing, and African Americans won 15 of the first 28 Kentucky Derbies. Those wins included Oliver Lewis's victory in the first Derby, in which 13 of the 15 competing jockeys were Black; Lewis rode Aristides, a horse trained by a former slave, Ansel Williamson. Isaac Burns Murphy, born in Kentucky in 1861, was one of the greatest American jockeys of any era; he became the Derby's first three-time winner (1884, 1890, and 1891). The last African American to win the Kentucky Derby as a jockey was James Winkfield, who won in 1901 and 1902. By the early 20th century, however, racial discrimination had increasingly curtailed African Americans' role in American horse racing, and no African American would ride in the Kentucky Derby between 1921 and 2000, when Marlon St. Julien rode to a seventh-place finish.

Relatively few women have ridden as jockeys in the Kentucky Derby. The first, Diane Crump, finished 15th in 1970, and the sixth, Rosie Napravnik, finished fifth aboard Mylute in 2013 and last in 2014. Women owners have won the Derby numerous times, beginning in 1904 with Elwood's victory for owner Laska Durnell. Since then, prominent Derby-winning female owners have included Helen Hay Whitney, Elizabeth Arden Graham, Ethel V. Mars, and Penny Chenery (whose winning horses included Secretariat, in 1973). In 1990 Frances Genter became the oldest Derby-winning owner at the age of 92 with the colt Unbridled.

Kentucky Derby Network

Issues related to commercial rights, advertising, and the race's large purse have also been part of the Kentucky Derby's history since the mid-20th century. After a local television broadcast in 1949, the race was broadcast to a national audience in the United States in 1952, despite fears that televising the race would reduce attendance. Those fears proved unfounded, however, and subsequent broadcasts drew tens of millions of viewers, further solidifying the race's popularity. In 2004, as a result of a court order, jockeys were allowed to wear corporate logos, overturning Churchill Down's longstanding ban on such insignia. The following year, when the race's purse was increased to $2 million, the number of horses receiving a share of the prize was also extended to include the fifth-place finisher.

Watch The Kentucky Derby Free

In 2013 Churchill Downs implemented a points system to determine which horses could start in the Derby in the event that there were more than 20 entries. Under the new structure, which replaced a system that ranked horses on the basis of their earnings in graded stakes races, horses receive points according to their performance in specific Derby prep races as determined by Churchill Downs.

Kentucky Derby Placements

Kentucky Derby Win Place Show