Derby Day

The greatest two minutes in sports™.
The run for the roses.
The sport of kings.
 
Tomorrow is the first Saturday in May. That can mean only one thing: Kentucky Derby Day. Ladies in fancy hats sipping mint juleps rub shoulder to shoulder with betting men, all while watching to see which of the twenty three-year-old horses run the fastest 1¼ miles.
What does this have I do with Regency England, you ask?
While now known as the oldest sporting event in the US, the Kentucky Derby has its origins in the Epsom Derby. First run in 1780 (during the Georgian era), the Derby was a race of 1½ miles.
After touring England and France Colonel M. Lewis Clark (grandson of William Clark of Lewis and Clark fame) organized the Louisville Jockey Club and began development of the racetrack that would come to be known as Churchill Downs (the name did not become official until 1937).
May 17, 1875 was the opening day of the track and the first running of the Kentucky Derby.  Modeled after Epsom in distance, it was a course covering 1½ miles, until 1896, when it was changed to its current distance of 1¼ miles.  It wasn’t until 1932 that the Derby Day was changed to the first Saturday of May beginning in 1931 to allow sufficient rest time for the horses to compete in the Triple Crown.
It was a field of 15 horses and the winning prize was $2,850, awarded to the winner, Aristides, ridden by Oliver Lewis (no relation to the Lewis and Clark Expedition).  Compare that with tomorrow’s field of 19 horses (at time of this post, 2 have been scratched) and a purse of $2,202,800.
This year’s Derby is tomorrow, May 3rd and the post time is 6:24pm EST (3:24 pm for you left coasters).
Here are some common terms related to racing in general:
Derby: In England this refers to the Epsom Derby and is pronounced “Darby”, while stateside it refers to the Kentucky Derby.
Field: The number of horses running the race.  Tomorrow’s race is a field of 19.
Furlong: A measure of distance equal to 660 feet.  Epson is a 12 furlong race at 1½ miles and Kentucky is a 10 furlong race at 1¼ miles.
Mint Julep*: A Kentucky Derby tradition, the Mint Julep is a drink mixing good Southern Bourbon and muddled mint leaves.
Triple Crown: Set of three races increasing in distance from the Kentucky Derby at 1¼ miles, The Preakness at 1 3/16 miles and the Belmont (the longest) at 1½ miles.
Turf: A track that is comprised of grass as opposed to dirt. Epsom is run on turf while Kentucky is run on dirt (or mud, depending on the weather!).