1 00:00:00,120 --> 00:00:01,920 Speaker 1: This Day in History Class is a production of I 2 00:00:02,080 --> 00:00:07,760 Speaker 1: Heart Radio. What's Up? Everyone? Welcome to This Day in 3 00:00:07,840 --> 00:00:10,920 Speaker 1: History Class, where we bring you a new tidbit from 4 00:00:10,960 --> 00:00:23,239 Speaker 1: history every day. Today is May seventeen nineteen. The day 5 00:00:23,440 --> 00:00:28,200 Speaker 1: was May seventeen, eighteen seventy five. The Kentucky Derby, a 6 00:00:28,240 --> 00:00:32,199 Speaker 1: popular horse race held annually in Louisville, Kentucky, had its 7 00:00:32,280 --> 00:00:36,600 Speaker 1: big debut more than a century after its creation. The 8 00:00:36,680 --> 00:00:39,840 Speaker 1: Kentucky Derby draws crowds of hundreds of thousands of people 9 00:00:40,320 --> 00:00:44,800 Speaker 1: and offers three million dollars in prize money. Though it's 10 00:00:44,920 --> 00:00:48,920 Speaker 1: not clear exactly where horse racing originated, it is clear 11 00:00:49,000 --> 00:00:52,160 Speaker 1: that it has been around for thousands of years. Even 12 00:00:52,200 --> 00:00:55,160 Speaker 1: though horses were extinct for a while in the America's, 13 00:00:55,560 --> 00:00:59,640 Speaker 1: Europeans reintroduced them on the continent in the fifteenth century. 14 00:01:00,040 --> 00:01:03,640 Speaker 1: Thoroughbreds are a breed of horse bread specifically for racing 15 00:01:03,680 --> 00:01:06,360 Speaker 1: and jumping, that can be traced back to horses that 16 00:01:06,400 --> 00:01:10,040 Speaker 1: were imported to England in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. 17 00:01:10,959 --> 00:01:14,120 Speaker 1: Since then, the English Thoroughbred has been introduced to countries 18 00:01:14,120 --> 00:01:18,600 Speaker 1: around the world for racing or improving other breeds. The 19 00:01:18,680 --> 00:01:22,440 Speaker 1: introduction of thoroughbreds led to the creation of thoroughbred only races. 20 00:01:23,040 --> 00:01:25,760 Speaker 1: In seventeen eighty, the first running of the Derby at 21 00:01:25,800 --> 00:01:29,760 Speaker 1: Epsom Downs and Surrey, England, took place. A Derby is 22 00:01:29,880 --> 00:01:34,080 Speaker 1: usually restricted to three year old thoroughbreds. The Derby was 23 00:01:34,200 --> 00:01:38,280 Speaker 1: named after Edwards Stanley, the twelfth Earl of Derby, and 24 00:01:38,319 --> 00:01:42,319 Speaker 1: the Kentucky Derby, in turn was named after the Epsom Derby. 25 00:01:43,040 --> 00:01:48,000 Speaker 1: While Merriweather Louis Clark, explorer William Clark's grandson was in 26 00:01:48,080 --> 00:01:51,280 Speaker 1: England in the eighteen seventy two, he attended the Derby 27 00:01:51,320 --> 00:01:54,040 Speaker 1: and hung out with the French Jockey Club, which had 28 00:01:54,080 --> 00:01:57,840 Speaker 1: developed a different horse race. By this time. The Derby 29 00:01:58,000 --> 00:02:01,240 Speaker 1: was a huge social gathering where pepe of the aristocracy 30 00:02:01,560 --> 00:02:05,320 Speaker 1: and working class alike spent time gambling, playing games, and 31 00:02:05,520 --> 00:02:09,560 Speaker 1: essentially partying. When Clark went back to the US, he 32 00:02:09,639 --> 00:02:11,880 Speaker 1: was set on creating a horse race of his own. 33 00:02:12,760 --> 00:02:16,680 Speaker 1: Clark's family home was in Louisville, Kentucky. Horse breeding and 34 00:02:16,720 --> 00:02:20,000 Speaker 1: horse racing were already part of the city and countries culture, 35 00:02:20,360 --> 00:02:24,080 Speaker 1: and race tracks were popping up. Clark's uncle's John and 36 00:02:24,160 --> 00:02:27,120 Speaker 1: Henry Churchill, gave him land to build a race track, 37 00:02:27,280 --> 00:02:30,720 Speaker 1: and Clark solicited subscription memberships to get money to build 38 00:02:30,720 --> 00:02:34,680 Speaker 1: a stable, a clubhouse, a grandstand, and the porter's lodge. 39 00:02:35,360 --> 00:02:38,720 Speaker 1: The land became known as Churchill Downs, and the local 40 00:02:38,800 --> 00:02:41,880 Speaker 1: race fans who raised money to build the racetrack became 41 00:02:41,919 --> 00:02:46,560 Speaker 1: the Louisville Jockey Club. On May seventeen, eighteen seventy five, 42 00:02:46,919 --> 00:02:50,080 Speaker 1: the Louisville Jockey Club and Driving Park hosted its first 43 00:02:50,160 --> 00:02:55,399 Speaker 1: Kentucky Derby. About ten thousand people attended that first Kentucky Derby. 44 00:02:55,639 --> 00:02:59,040 Speaker 1: They watched fifteen three year old thoroughbreds run a mile 45 00:02:59,160 --> 00:03:03,079 Speaker 1: and a half. Oliver Lewis and his horse, a chestnut 46 00:03:03,080 --> 00:03:06,600 Speaker 1: Thoroughbred name Aristides, won the race in a little more 47 00:03:06,639 --> 00:03:10,959 Speaker 1: than two minutes in thirty seven seconds. Louis got two thousand, 48 00:03:10,960 --> 00:03:13,760 Speaker 1: eight hundred and fifty dollars in prize money, though he 49 00:03:13,800 --> 00:03:16,760 Speaker 1: did not race in the Kentucky Derby again and moved 50 00:03:16,800 --> 00:03:20,640 Speaker 1: on to work in training and bookmaking. Louis, along with 51 00:03:20,680 --> 00:03:23,320 Speaker 1: twelve other jockeys and many of the trainers at the 52 00:03:23,360 --> 00:03:27,320 Speaker 1: eighteen seventy five Kentucky Derby were black. There was a 53 00:03:27,400 --> 00:03:30,040 Speaker 1: kind of class division in the Kentucky Derby set up. 54 00:03:30,520 --> 00:03:33,480 Speaker 1: The grandstand and clubhouse were pretty upity and had a 55 00:03:33,560 --> 00:03:36,840 Speaker 1: dress code, while the infield was less subject to upper 56 00:03:36,880 --> 00:03:41,280 Speaker 1: class scrutiny. Also, the betting stand was deemed an inappropriate 57 00:03:41,280 --> 00:03:44,680 Speaker 1: place for women. Still, the event attracted a lot of 58 00:03:44,680 --> 00:03:47,480 Speaker 1: people who were into horse races and others who came 59 00:03:47,520 --> 00:03:50,600 Speaker 1: for the camaraderie. But as a century was coming to 60 00:03:50,640 --> 00:03:54,360 Speaker 1: a close, the Kentucky Derby was not doing so well financially, 61 00:03:55,040 --> 00:03:58,160 Speaker 1: so the Louisville Jockey Club got new owners and the 62 00:03:58,200 --> 00:04:04,400 Speaker 1: track and race were revamped. Clark died in Over the 63 00:04:04,440 --> 00:04:08,280 Speaker 1: next decades the Kentucky Derby's facilities and image were updated. 64 00:04:08,880 --> 00:04:11,640 Speaker 1: For a while women had separate seating and the grand 65 00:04:11,720 --> 00:04:15,320 Speaker 1: stand away from the betting stand. Over all, the Kentucky 66 00:04:15,360 --> 00:04:20,040 Speaker 1: Derby was and still is a very male dominated event. Also, 67 00:04:20,200 --> 00:04:23,599 Speaker 1: the increasing popularity of the black jockeys led them to 68 00:04:23,760 --> 00:04:27,360 Speaker 1: systemically being pushed out of the Kentucky Derby. In addition 69 00:04:27,400 --> 00:04:30,440 Speaker 1: to this, the Kentucky Derby has faced criticism over the 70 00:04:30,440 --> 00:04:34,799 Speaker 1: treatment of animals involved. A number of traditions have become 71 00:04:34,839 --> 00:04:38,240 Speaker 1: part of the Kentucky Derby experience, like the mint Juluk 72 00:04:38,480 --> 00:04:41,880 Speaker 1: and the awarding of roses to the winner. The Kentucky 73 00:04:41,920 --> 00:04:45,000 Speaker 1: Derby is the first leg of the United States Triple Crown, 74 00:04:45,320 --> 00:04:48,200 Speaker 1: the title given to horses who win the Kentucky Derby, 75 00:04:48,400 --> 00:04:52,800 Speaker 1: Preakness Stakes and Belmont Stakes. I'm Eve Steff Coo and 76 00:04:52,839 --> 00:04:55,640 Speaker 1: hopefully you know a little more about history today than 77 00:04:55,680 --> 00:04:59,000 Speaker 1: you did yesterday. If you'd like to learn more about 78 00:04:59,040 --> 00:05:01,720 Speaker 1: the Kentucky Derby, listen to the episode of Stuff You 79 00:05:01,760 --> 00:05:06,880 Speaker 1: Missed in History class titled the Kentucky Derby's First fifty Years. Also, 80 00:05:07,040 --> 00:05:10,440 Speaker 1: I would like to note that Derby is pronounced Derby 81 00:05:10,520 --> 00:05:14,360 Speaker 1: in the United States, but in Britain is pronounced Derby. 82 00:05:16,279 --> 00:05:19,839 Speaker 1: You can find us on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook at 83 00:05:19,920 --> 00:05:25,360 Speaker 1: t d I h C podcast. Thanks again for listening, 84 00:05:25,760 --> 00:05:28,320 Speaker 1: and I hope you come back tomorrow for more delicious 85 00:05:28,320 --> 00:05:37,680 Speaker 1: morsels of history. For more podcasts from I Heeart Radio, 86 00:05:37,839 --> 00:05:40,440 Speaker 1: visit the iHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you 87 00:05:40,480 --> 00:05:41,640 Speaker 1: listen to your favorite shows.