Kentucky Derby Horse Race
Kentucky is a center of horse breeding and racing since the fields of the Bluegrass region were noted for producing superior race horses. The Louisville Jockey Club raised money to build quality racing facilities just outside of the city and the race track would soon become known as Churchill Downs.
The Kentucky Derby was first run at 1.5 miles, the same distance as the Epsom Derby and the Grand Prix de Paris. In 1896, the distance was changed to its current 1.25 miles (2 km). On May 17, 1875, in front of an estimated crowd of 10,000 people, a field of 15 three-year-old horses contested the first Derby. Under African-American jockey Oliver Lewis a horse named Aristides trained by Ansel Williamson won the first Kintucky Derby and later Lewis rode Aristides to a second-place finish in the Belmont Stakes.
Derby Hat
Also known as a bowler hat was named after Edward Smith-Stanley, 12th Earl of Derby, who was the founder of the Epsom Derby. The derby tended to be associated with urban culture and particularly with the well-to-do that had risen up from the working class. It was often seen on the heads of politicians, urban Irish-descended ward heelers, and others. It often appears in movies, comic books, and comic strips of the 1930s and 1940s as a sign that the wearer is of this group. Men's full-sized derbies are black, but Al Smith always wore a brown derby.
