Kentucky Derby Quiz
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8correct to beat the crowd
165 free Kentucky Derby trivia questions with answers — sports quiz, new questions added Oct 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 165 questions with answers and explanations. Play the quiz
Q 01Which 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 02Over what distance has the Kentucky Derby been run since 1896?
1 and 1/4 miles
1 and 1/4 miles, or ten furlongs, takes the field about two minutes to cover, which is why the Derby is billed as 'the most exciting two minutes in sports'.
Q 03Which horse was the first to run the Kentucky Derby in under two minutes?
Secretariat
Secretariat won the 1973 Derby in 1:59 2/5, running each quarter-mile faster than the one before, so he was still accelerating as he reached the finish.
Q 04What traditional beverage is most associated with the Kentucky Derby?
Mint Julep
Mint Julep, a mix of bourbon, sugar syrup and mint over crushed ice, became the Derby's official drink in the 1930s, when Churchill Downs began serving it in souvenir cups that racegoers could keep.
Q 05Which song is played as the horses parade before the grandstand ahead of the Kentucky Derby?
My Old Kentucky Home
My Old Kentucky Home, by Stephen Foster, is played by the University of Louisville marching band as the horses parade; at the crowdless 2020 Derby a lone bugler played it instead.
Q 06Which 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 07Queen Elizabeth II's 2007 Derby trip came on a visit marking which settlement's 400th anniversary?
Jamestown
Jamestown had welcomed her before: she came for its 350th anniversary in 1957, and fifty years on she returned, then went on to Churchill Downs for her first Derby.
Q 08Which two jockeys each won the Kentucky Derby five times?
Eddie Arcaro and Bill Hartack
Eddie Arcaro and Bill Hartack each won five; Hartack's first, on Iron Liege in 1957, came by a nose after the rival jockey stood up in his stirrups too soon, mistaking a marker pole for the finish line.
Q 09Who founded Churchill Downs and organized the first Kentucky Derby?
Meriwether Lewis Clark Jr.
Meriwether Lewis Clark Jr. opened the track in 1875 on land that belonged to his mother's family, the Churchills, and within a decade it was being called by their name.
Q 10Which 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 11Which feature atop the Churchill Downs grandstand has become the Derby's symbol?
The Twin Spires
The Twin Spires were not in the first plans: Joseph Baldez, the 24-year-old draftsman drawing up the 1895 grandstand, added them because he felt the building needed something striking.
Q 12Which trainer matched Ben Jones's six Kentucky Derby wins when Authentic won in 2020?
Bob Baffert
Bob Baffert drew level with Ben Jones when Authentic won in 2020; a seventh winner, Medina Spirit in 2021, was later disqualified over a failed drug test, leaving him on six.
Q 13In which city is Churchill Downs located?
Louisville, Kentucky
Q 21Which colt ran second in the 1973 Kentucky Derby in a time quick enough to win almost any other Derby?
Sham
Sham finished 2½ lengths behind the record-setting winner despite smashing his mouth on the starting gate at the break, and many observers reckon he too finished inside two minutes.
Q 22What color are the roses in the Kentucky Derby winner's garland?
Red
Red roses became the Derby's official flower in 1904; the first garland on record, presented to the 1896 winner, was not red at all.
Q 23Which runner-up was declared the winner of the 2021 Kentucky Derby after Medina Spirit was disqualified?
Mandaloun
Mandaloun finished half a length behind on the day and was promoted only in February 2022, more than nine months later, after the first horse home failed a drug test.
Churchill Downs is in Louisville, Kentucky, about three miles south of downtown, and has hosted the Derby every year since its first running.
Q 14Which filly became the first of her sex to win the Kentucky Derby, in 1915?
Regret
Regret's win brought the race a wave of national newspaper coverage and is credited with turning a regional event into an American institution.
Q 15Which gray colt, an early television star, suffered the only defeat of his career in the 1953 Kentucky Derby?
Native Dancer
Native Dancer lost by a head to 25-1 shot Dark Star, then won the Preakness and Belmont and retired with 21 wins from 22 starts.
Q 16Which 91-1 longshot won the 1913 Kentucky Derby?
Donerail
Donerail won at 91-1 and paid $184.90 for a $2 bet, and it was no slow fluke: his 2:04 4/5 was the fastest Derby run up to that time.
Q 17Which horse won the 2015 Triple Crown, the first sweep in 37 years?
American Pharoah
American Pharoah's misspelt name came from a fan's winning entry in his owner's naming contest, which was sent on to the Jockey Club before anyone caught the error.
Q 18Since 2013, horses have earned a place in the Kentucky Derby starting gate by collecting what in designated prep races?
Points
Points replaced a ranking by graded-stakes earnings, which had counted money won in sprints, turf races and two-year-old races as much as the traditional Derby preps.
Q 19The Kentucky Derby's founder modelled it on the signature race of which English racecourse?
Epsom
Epsom's Derby had been run every year since 1780 when the Kentucky race's founder came to watch in 1872; he went home and set up a jockey club to stage an American version.
Q 20Which color are racegoers encouraged to wear at Churchill Downs on Kentucky Oaks day?
Pink
Pink marks the Oaks-day campaign for breast and ovarian cancer awareness, when survivors of both diseases walk the track in a parade of their own.
Q 24Roughly how many of its signature cocktails does Churchill Downs serve over the two days of Derby weekend?
120,000
120,000 or so are poured across the two days, and nearly all of them go out in collectible souvenir glasses that many racegoers take home.
Q 25Which open-faced sandwich, a Kentucky Derby party favourite, was created at a Louisville hotel in the 1920s?
Hot Brown
Hot Brown was a chef's answer to dinner-dance guests who wanted something grander than ham and eggs in the small hours: turkey and bacon on toast under a cheese sauce.
Q 26Which 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 27Every Kentucky Derby runner officially turns three on which holiday?
New Year's Day
New Year's Day is the official birthday of every Thoroughbred in the Northern Hemisphere, whatever day it was foaled, so a colt born in late spring runs the Derby before he has really turned three.
Q 28Which trainer won four Kentucky Derbies including Winning Colors in 1988 and Thunder Gulch in 1995?
D. Wayne Lukas
D. Wayne Lukas won with Winning Colors, Thunder Gulch, Grindstone and Charismatic; in 1995 he took all three Triple Crown races with two different horses, something no trainer had done before.
Q 29Which 1968 winner was the first Derby winner ever to be disqualified, after a post-race drug test?
Dancer's Image
Dancer's Image crossed the line first in 1968, but a urine test found traces of the painkiller phenylbutazone; after a long legal fight the win went to Forward Pass.
Q 30Which 1941 Triple Crown winner was known for come-from-behind runs and a distinctive long tail?
Whirlaway
Whirlaway, nicknamed 'Mr. Longtail', kept veering toward the outside rail, so trainer Ben Jones fitted a blinker that covered his right eye, and the colt ran straight to win the Derby in record time.