Kentucky Derby 2012 The Kentucky Derby is a horse race that has been run every year since 1875 at Churchill Downs, Louisville, Kentucky. The race started as a 1.5-mile race, but in 1896, it was...

Kentucky Derby 2012 The Kentucky Derby is a horse race that has been run every year since 1875 at Churchill Downs, Louisville, Kentucky. The race started as a 1.5-mile race, but in 1896, it was shortened to 1.25 miles because experts felt that 3-year-old horses shouldn’t run such a long race that early in the season. (It has been run in May every year but one—1901—when it took place on April 29). Here are the data for the first four and several recent races.