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Road to the Kentucky Derby 2022: The Kentucky Derby

A recap of the 2022 Kentucky Derby

Isabel M. and Lucy C.|May 13, 2022

History of the Kentucky Derby

In 1872, Meriwether Lewis Clark- the grandson of famous William Clark- traveled to England and attended the Epsom Derby. Inspired by his travels, he was determined to create something similar in the states.
In 1874, Meriwether’s uncles, John & Henry Churchill, gifted him the land he needed to start a racetrack, and he founded the Louisville Jockey Club.
On May 17th, 1875, the first Kentucky Derby was run. Aristides raced one and a half miles with fourteen other colts and won in front of ten thousand people.
In 1883, the racetrack began to be referred to as Churchill Downs.
The famous Twin Spires greeted crowds in 1895. They had been built to accommodate the large crowds.
In 1904, the red rose became the official flower of the Kentucky Derby
The Kentucky Derby caught media attention in 1915, as the first filly, Regret, won the race. This publicity establishes the Kentucky Derby as a premier sporting event in America, after its 41st running.
In 1919, Sir Barton won the Kentucky Derby. He would go on to be the first horse to win the Triple Crown.
Gallant Fox won the Derby in 1930, and the term “Triple Crown” is officially used.
In 1968, Dancer’s Image was the first Derby winner to be disqualified. Following the race, Dancer’s Image tested positive for an illegal medication, so the purse is taken from him, and awarded to the second-place finisher Forward Pass
In the 99th running of the Kentucky Derby, Secretariat wins with the fastest finishing time to date. Secretariat completed the race in 1:59:40. He went on to win the Triple Crown in 1973, for the first time in 25 years.
Seattle Slew wins the Triple Crown in 1977. He is the only horse to win the title while undefeated. The purse is increased to one million dollars, and Thunder Gulch is the first to win.
In 2006, Barbaro won by six and a half lengths- the longest distance since 1946. Just two weeks later, he breaks his leg in the Preakness. He passed away due to complications of his injury
Nine years later, American Pharoah wins the Triple Crown, ending a thirty year drought. Justify was the last horse to win the Triple Crown in 2018.
In 2021, Medina Spirit won the Kentucky Derby, he failed his drug test, and a few months later, he passed from a heart attack after a workout. His win was later revoked and his trainer, Bob Baffert, was banned from many racetracks.

2022 Kentucky Derby:

All contenders had good starts, except for Mo Donegal. Summer is Tomorrow took the front and set the pace for most of the race. Crown Pride took the lead about a length off of Summer is Tomorrow. Messier and Zozos were stride for stride, as the pack headed around the first turn, while Cyberknife ran in fifth on the outside. It was a fast pace race, with the one-quarter mile time at 21.78 seconds. At the half mile, Summer is Tomorrow and Crown Pride were still dictating the pace. Epicenter, the favorite, started climbing ranks.At the three-quarter mile, several of the pacesetters started running out of stamina. Summer is Tomorrow began rapidly falling behind, while Epicenter pulled his way to the front.

On the homestretch, chaos broke out. Mo Donegal tried to make up for his bad start and Simplification ran in third on the outside of his pack. Epicenter and Zandon, co favorites, pulled their way to the front. These two were stride for stride, and many waited in anticipation to see this year’s winner, but another horse was about to make his mark. Rich Strike, the longest shot and a horse who barely qualified for the Derby, rapidly dodged horses and crossed the wire first. This year’s Derby was anything but predictable, and I am excited to see how these colts perform in the Preakness and Belmont stakes.