Pat Day was the man of the hour in the mid-1980s. Cannonade topped a field of 23 for the win. After that history-making race, the Derby followed with another landmark event when a record 163,628 viewers - more than for any other thoroughbred race - watched the 100th running of the Derby. He went on to become the first Triple Crown winner in 25 years. Secretariat finished the race in 1:59.40. In 1973, Secretariat won the Derby and broke two minutes for the first time in Derby history. The second-place finisher, Forward Pass, was declared the winner.Īfter several takeover bids, from private groups and the city of Louisville, the board of directors created the Derby Protection Group to outbid all suitors and maintain control of the company - also successfully driving stock up significantly. The first (and only) Derby winner disqualification took place in 1968, when the winner, Dancer's Image, was found to have had an illegal medication in its blood during post-race testing. The 1950s also saw vast improvements and renovations done to Churchill Downs, modernizing and expanding the track. The first national telecast came three years later, on and a video replay system was installed for the first time in 1954. The first televised Derby - on a local channel and a limited basis - was run in 1949. Over the 10 years from 1940 to 1950, Churchill Downs Foundation donated $1.5 million to war charities and other causes. In 1943, government travel restrictions precluded the sale of any out-of-town tickets, and Count Fleet won a race known as the "Street Car Derby." The government banned all horse racing in January 1945, threatening the Derby's continuous run of races, but it was lifted in May and the 71st Derby was held in June. World War II provided some challenges for the Derby, but it continued each year. The ATA was dissolved in 1953, and Churchill Downs became the sole holding company. After Latonia was sold in 1943, the company became just Churchill Downs Incorporated. Two years later, the first Kentucky Derby Festival was held.Īfter the American Turf Association sold many of its holdings, Churchill Downs and Latonia merged into its own incorporated company, Churchill Downs-Latonia Incorporated, in 1937. Its first international broadcast came not long after, when the transmission was sent from Louisville to New Jersey to England in 1933. In 1925, the race was broadcast live on the radio for the first time, spreading its popularity across the country. By 1928, the American Turf Association was the new holding company for Churchill Downs and its partner tracks. The club obtained several new tracks in both Kentucky and Illinois and eventually reorganized as a holding company to increase its capitalization by almost 100 percent. Having been taken over yet again, and consolidating its power with other Kentucky racing sites, the Derby became part of the Kentucky Jockey Club and its popularity grew over the next decade. After two record-setting years and a history-making race the next, the Derby had become a premier American sporting event. The Derby had another marquee year in 1915, when Regret became the first filly to win the race. That record was broken again just a year later, when Old Rosebud set a track record of 2:03.40 - winning the race by eight lengths. He won in 2:04.80, at the time the fastest time ever run. Donerail paid out $184.90 on a $2 bet and collected $5,475 for the victory. In 1913, Donerail became the longest shot ever to win the Derby, at $92.40 to 1 odds. Despite the high attendance and popularity of the event, the Derby and the Louisville Jockey Club were not financially successful, and it was bought and incorporated in 1894. The first race was won by a 3-year-old chestnut colt, Aristides. Four races were scheduled that day, but the Derby was the premier event. The first Kentucky Derby took place on May 17, 1875, and was watched by more than 10,000 viewers. Lewis Clark, the Derby was the first of its kind in the South and was modeled after popular stakes races in England. The first Derby, though, came about 100 years later, in 1875. Horse racing has been a popular sport in Kentucky for more than 150 years, with the first race course laid out in Lexington in 1789.
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