Kentucky Derby Quiz
0Loading crowd target
0Loading crowd target
8correct to beat the crowd
131 free Kentucky Derby trivia questions with answers — sports quiz, new questions added Aug 2026.
50 free Kentucky Derby trivia questions with answers. Think you're a Kentucky Derby expert? Put your knowledge to the test with our exciting trivia quiz covering the history, winners, and iconic moments of America's most prestigious horse race. From legendary thoroughbreds to fascinating Derby facts, see how well you really know the Run for the Roses.
30 of 131 questions with answers and explanations. Play the quiz
Q 01In which year did 15 horses contest the first Kentucky Derby?
1875
The first Kentucky Derby was run on May 17, 1875, at Churchill Downs, with a field of 15 horses and an estimated crowd of 10,000.
Q 02Which horse won the very first Kentucky Derby?
Aristides
Aristides was meant to be the pacemaking 'rabbit' for his stablemate Chesapeake, but simply never came back to the field.
Q 03What is the Kentucky Derby commonly nicknamed?
The Run for the Roses
The Run for the Roses was coined in 1925 by a New York sports columnist, a nod to the garland of roses draped over the winner.
Q 04Over what distance has the Kentucky Derby been run since 1896?
1 and 1/4 miles
The Kentucky Derby has been run over 1 and 1/4 miles, ten furlongs, since 1896, when the original longer trip was shortened.
Q 05Which horse was the first to run the Kentucky Derby in under two minutes?
Secretariat
Secretariat ran the 1973 Kentucky Derby in 1:59 2/5, the first sub-two-minute Derby, on his way to sweeping the Triple Crown.
Q 06What traditional beverage is most associated with the Kentucky Derby?
Mint Julep
Churchill Downs has promoted the julep in association with the race since 1938.
Q 07Which Stephen Foster song is played as the horses parade before the grandstand ahead of the Derby?
My Old Kentucky Home
My Old Kentucky Home is performed by the University of Louisville marching band as the horses parade; in the crowdless 2020 Derby it was played on a bugle instead.
Q 08Which 1932 winner was the first to wear the modern Garland of Roses?
Burgoo King
Louisville florist Grace Walker designed the garland at the request of Churchill Downs official Samuel Culbertson.
Q 09In which year did Queen Elizabeth II attend the Kentucky Derby in person?
2007
Queen Elizabeth II, a lifelong Thoroughbred owner and breeder, attended the 2007 Kentucky Derby during her state visit to the United States for Jamestown's 400th anniversary.
Q 10Which two jockeys each won the Kentucky Derby five times?
Eddie Arcaro and Bill Hartack
Eddie Arcaro won five Kentucky Derbies between 1938 and 1952, and Bill Hartack matched him with five between 1957 and 1969.
Q 11Who founded Churchill Downs and organized the first Kentucky Derby?
Meriwether Lewis Clark Jr.
Meriwether Lewis Clark Jr. built the track in 1875 on 80 acres leased from his Churchill uncles, whose family name the course took in 1883.
Q 12Which horse was the first Triple Crown winner in history?
Sir Barton
Sir Barton had never won a race before the 1919 Derby, then swept the series in about a month.
Q 13Which feature atop the Churchill Downs grandstand has become the Derby's symbol?
The Twin Spires
The Twin Spires were added by architect Joseph Baldez when the grandstand was built in 1895, because he felt it needed something striking; they became the track's emblem.
Q 21The Kentucky Derby's founder modelled it on the signature race of which English racecourse?
Epsom
The Derby at Epsom in Surrey had been run annually since 1780 by the time Clark visited.
Q 22Which race for fillies is run at Churchill Downs the day before the Derby?
Kentucky Oaks
The Kentucky Oaks, the fillies' counterpart to the Derby, has been run at Churchill Downs since 1875 and takes place the day before the Derby.
Q 23Which runner-up clocked 1:59 4/5 in the 1973 Kentucky Derby, a time that would have won almost any other?
Sham
Sham chased the winner home in the second-fastest Derby ever run to that point, and it took until 2001 for another horse to break 2:00.
Q 14Which trainer matched Ben Jones's six Kentucky Derby wins when Authentic won in 2020?
Bob Baffert
Bob Baffert drew level with Ben Jones at six Derby wins when Authentic won in 2020; his first had come with Silver Charm in 1997.
Q 15In which city is Churchill Downs located?
Louisville, Kentucky
Churchill Downs is in Louisville, Kentucky, about three miles south of downtown, and has hosted the Derby every year since its first running.
Q 16Which filly became the first of her sex to win the Kentucky Derby, in 1915?
Regret
Regret became the first filly to win the Kentucky Derby in 1915, racing for owner Harry Payne Whitney and Hall of Fame trainer James Rowe Sr.
Q 17Assault won the 1946 Kentucky Derby by a record-equalling margin of how many lengths?
Eight lengths
Assault won the 1946 Derby by eight lengths, equalling the record margin first set by Old Rosebud in 1914.
Q 18Which 91-1 longshot won the 1913 Kentucky Derby?
Donerail
Donerail won the 1913 Kentucky Derby at 91-1, returning $184.90 on a $2 win bet, a payout unmatched for more than a century.
Q 19Which horse won the 2015 Triple Crown, the first sweep in 37 years?
American Pharoah
American Pharoah swept the 2015 Triple Crown, the first since Affirmed in 1978, and was retired to Coolmore's Ashford Stud after a nine-for-eleven career.
Q 20What was the distance of the Kentucky Derby when it was first run?
1 and 1/2 miles
The first Derby in 1875 was run over 1 and 1/2 miles, the distance of the English race it was modelled on; the trip was shortened in 1896.
Q 24What color are the roses in the Kentucky Derby winner's garland?
Red
The garland is made of hundreds of red roses; the first recorded account of roses being draped on a Derby winner dates to 1896.
Q 25Which Derby winner was the first since Apollo in 1882 to have not raced at two?
Justify
Justify broke the 'Curse of Apollo' in 2018 as the first Derby winner since Apollo in 1882 to have not raced as a two-year-old; he was retired weeks after the Belmont Stakes.
Q 26Roughly how many of the Derby's signature bourbon cocktails are served at Churchill Downs over Derby weekend?
120,000
Churchill Downs serves roughly 120,000 mint juleps over Oaks and Derby days, nearly all poured into collectible souvenir Derby glasses.
Q 27What is the circumference of the main dirt track at Churchill Downs?
1 mile
The main dirt oval track at Churchill Downs is one mile in circumference and is 79-80 feet wide.
Q 28Which horse won the 2022 Kentucky Derby as a massive 80-1 longshot?
Rich Strike
Rich Strike stunned the racing world by winning the 2022 Kentucky Derby at 80-1 odds, paying $163.60 on a $2 win bet. He was only added to the field after a late scratch.
Q 29Which races make up American horse racing's Triple Crown?
Kentucky Derby, Preakness Stakes, Belmont Stakes
The Triple Crown consists of the Kentucky Derby, the Preakness Stakes (at Pimlico in Baltimore), and the Belmont Stakes (at Belmont Park in New York).
Q 30Which trainer won four Kentucky Derbies including Winning Colors in 1988 and Thunder Gulch in 1995?
D. Wayne Lukas
D. Wayne Lukas trained four Kentucky Derby winners: Winning Colors (1988), Thunder Gulch (1995), Grindstone (1996), and Charismatic (1999).