Best horses to win the Kentucky Derby and disappear at the Kentucky Derby. The 2023 Kentucky Derby is the 149th renewal of The Greatest Two Minutes in Sports. Live odds, betting, horse bios, travel info, tickets, news, and updates from Churchill Downs Race Track.
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The Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing is considered one of the most elusive sporting accomplishments: a back-to-back sweep of the Kentucky Derby, Preakness Stakes and Belmont Stakes.
To even be eligible, competitors have to go through a process that dates back to 1986, but you have to go back even further, to May 1985, to understand why.
At the 1985 Kentucky Derby, Spend A Buck wowed those in the grandstand at Churchill Downs with his exciting, and speedy, win. His 2:00.20 time remains one of the fastest in Derby history.
“Rather than run in the Preakness Stakes, the old Garden State Park in New Jersey threw out a multi-million dollar race and enticed Spend A Buck to run there instead,” Darren Rogers, senior director of communications and media services for Churchill Downs Racetrack, said.