2009 Kentucky Derby
- Date: Saturday May 2nd, 2009
- Location: Churchill Downs, Louisville KY
- Post Time: 6:04 PM (EST)
- TV Network: NBC, 5:00PM (EST)
The 135th running of the Kentucky Derby will take place on Saturday, May 2, 2009, and is the first leg of the Triple Crown series. Set before the backdrop of the famous twin spires at Churchill Downs, Ky., the $2M race is 1 1/4 miles long and features 3-year-old Thoroughbreds at the top of their game. In 1973, Secretariat set a track record of 1:59 2/5, one that still stands. 2008 Kentucky Derby champion Big Brown set pulses racing with his dominating 4 3/4-length victory. Who will be draped in roses at the end of this year's race?
Get all your Kentucky Derby betting in the Bodog Racebook.
Kentucky Derby: Did you know?
You can't get a real mint julep at the Kentucky Derby. The official mint julep of the Kentucky Derby is made with Early Times, which is a Kentucky whiskey, but not a bourbon.
In 1969, Diane Crump became the first woman to ride in the Kentucky Derby and the first to ride in a pari-mutuel race in North America.
There has never been a Kentucky Derby winner to come out of post position #15.
Drawing an average of 150,000 horse racing fans every year, the Kentucky Derby is Louisville's biggest annual event.
Burgoo (a thick, meaty stew) is a traditional meal of the Kentucky Derby.
No horse that has won the Breeders' Cup Juvenile has ever gone on to win the Kentucky Derby.
Alcoholic beverages, briefcases, backpacks, luggage pieces, coolers, grills, umbrellas, weapons and wagons are NOT permitted by Churchill Downs at the Kentucky Derby.
In 1937, celebrities Babe Ruth, Jack Dempsey, Gene Tunney and J. Edgar Hoover watched the Kentucky Derby from Millionaire's Row.