The 1875 Kentucky Derby was the first running of the Kentucky Derby. The race took place on May 17, 1875. The first Kentucky Derby was a 1.5-mile race, and the traditional distance of 1.25 miles was not established until the 1896 Derby. Thirteen of the fifteen jockeys in the race, including winner Oliver Lewis, were African-American. Attendance was estimated at 10,000.
The 1878 Kentucky Derby was the 4th running of the Kentucky Derby. The race took place on May 21, 1878. Winning horse Day Star set a new Kentucky Derby record with a winning time of 2:37.25.
The 1879 Kentucky Derby was the 5th running of the Kentucky Derby. The race took place on May 20, 1879. The winning horse Lord Murphy set a new Derby record with a winning time of 2:37.00.
The 1886 Kentucky Derby was the 12th running of the Kentucky Derby. The race took place on May 14, 1886. The winning time of 2:36.50 set a new Derby record.
The 1889 Kentucky Derby was the 15th running of the Kentucky Derby. The race took place on May 9, 1889. The winning time of 2:34.50 set a new Derby record for a distance of 1+1⁄2 miles (2.4 km).
The 1891 Kentucky Derby was the 17th running of the Kentucky Derby. The race took place on May 13, 1891. The winning time of 2:52.25 was the slowest winning time in Derby history.
The 1896 Kentucky Derby was the 22nd running of the Kentucky Derby. The race took place on May 6, 1896. This was the first Derby held at the current distance of 1+1⁄4 miles (2.0 km). Accordingly, the winning horse, Ben Brush, set the then-current Derby record at that distance with a time of 2:07.75.
The 1900 Kentucky Derby was the 26th running of the Kentucky Derby. The race took place on May 3, 1900. The winning time of 2:06.25 set a new Derby record.
The 1904 Kentucky Derby was the 30th running of the Kentucky Derby. The race took place on May 2, 1904. This year in Derby history is notable for several important firsts. Elwood, the winning horse, was owned by Lasca Durnell which marked the first time a female owner won the Derby. The winner was bred by Emma Holt Prather of Faustiana Stock Farm in Nodaway County, Missouri and was the first time a Derby winner was bred by a woman. In addition, Elwood was the first winner bred in the state of Missouri and through 2020 no other winner has been bred in that state.
The 1906 Kentucky Derby was the 32nd running of the Kentucky Derby. The race took place on May 2, 1906. The field was reduced to six competitors when Creel was scratched.
The 1910 Kentucky Derby was the 36th running of the Kentucky Derby. The race took place on May 10, 1910, held at Churchill Downs racecourse in Louisville, Kentucky and was the first year in which the race times were counted in fifths of a second instead of quarters of a second in hopes of having a more accurate race duration time of the horses. The winning horse's name is Donau who was jockeyed by Frederick Herbert. Donau was awarded $4,850, second place horse received $700, and third place horse received $300.
The 1911 Kentucky Derby was the 37th running of the Kentucky Derby. The race took place on May 13, 1911. Meridian's winning time of 2:05.00 set a new Derby record.
The 1913 Kentucky Derby was the 39th running of the Kentucky Derby. The race took place on May 10, 1913. The winning time of 2.04.80 set a new Derby record. With odds of 91–1, winning horse Donerail is the longest odds winner in Kentucky Derby history.
The 1914 Kentucky Derby was the 40th running of the Kentucky Derby. The race took place on May 9, 1914. Betting favorite Old Rosebud led the entire race, winning by eight lengths. The winning time of 2.03.40 set a new Derby record, which smashed the previous year's record set by longshot Donerail. Churchill Downs president Matt Winn channeled Old Rosebud's record setting run into considerable publicity for the Derby.
The 1915 Kentucky Derby was the 41st running of the Kentucky Derby. The race took place on May 8, 1915. The winning horse, Regret, generated significant publicity for the race being the first filly to ever win the Derby. Churchill Downs president Matt Winn observed that because of Regret's win "the Derby was thus made an American institution."
The 1916 Kentucky Derby was the 42nd running of the Kentucky Derby. The race took place on May 13, 1916.
The 1917 Kentucky Derby was the 43rd running of the Kentucky Derby. The race took place on May 12, 1917. Winner Omar Khayyam, foaled in England, was the first foreign bred horse to win the Derby.
The 1921 Kentucky Derby was the 47th running of the Kentucky Derby. The race took place on May 7, 1921. Behave Yourself was the upset winner of the 1921 Kentucky Derby over his stablemate, Black Servant.
The 1931 Kentucky Derby was the 57th running of the Kentucky Derby. The race took place on May 16, 1931. Horses Equipoise, Up, and Don Leon scratched before the race. Twenty Grand's winning time set a new Derby record. The winner was owned and bred by the Greentree Stable of Helen Hay Whitney. It marked the fourth time in the Derby's history that a woman owned the winning horse and the second time that a woman was both owner and breeder.
The 1955 Kentucky Derby was the 81st running of the Kentucky Derby. The race took place on May 7, 1955. The race carried a purse of $152,500 of which winner Swaps received $108,400, a then record.
