Kentucky Derby Special
Churchill Downs A day at the races
From mint juleps to retro rock, the Kentucky Derby serves up a lot more than 'the greatest two minutes in sports'
April 20, 1998
Web posted at: 12:00 p.m. EST (1700 GMT)(CNN) -- It's simply too late for reserved seating at Churchill Downs' 124th running of the Kentucky Derby. To be considered for such an honor, requests -- written requests only -- had to be in by September 1, 1997. You'd have been notified by the end of the year, and if you weren't -- no reserved seating.
Just for the record, the finish line splits sections 116 and 117, where a six-seat box for the race would have cost you $510 -- and those are some of the cheaper clubhouse seats.
But general admission tickets will be available when the gates open at 8 a.m. on Derby Day (and for that matter the day before when a field of fillies runs the Kentucky Oaks, now the country's second biggest day of racing, in attendance, behind the Derby itself).
DERBY FACTS First winner: Aristides, 1875, won in a field of 15 at 2:37 3/4. $2,850 went to the winner.
Fastest winner: Secretariat, 1973. 1:59 2/5. Slowest winner: Kingman, 1891. 2:52 1/4.
Highest purse to winner: Grindstone, 1996. $869,800 (net).
Largest field: 23 horses, 1974 (Cannonade won the race). Smallest field: 3, 1872 (won by Azra) and 1905 (won by Agile).
Triple Crown winners (Kentucky Derby/ Preakness/ Belmont Stakes): Sir Barton (1919), Gallant Fox (1930), Omaha (1935) War Admiral (1937), Whirlaway (1941), Count Fleet (1943), Assault (1946), Citation (1948), Secretariat (1973), Seattle Slew (1977), and Affirmed (1978).
Never ran the Derby: the legendary Man o War (1920), who did win the other two jewels of the Triple Crown. Other horses that met the same fate: Cloverbrook (1877), Duke of Magenta (1878), Grenada (1880), Saunterer (1881), Belmar (1895), Pillory (1922)
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