Showing results for Kentucky Derby.

Kentucky Derby

American

noun

Trademark.

a horse race for three-year-olds, run annually since 1875, on the first Saturday in May, at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky.: the first race in the Triple Crown.

Kentucky Derby British

noun

a race for three-year-old horses run annually since 1875 at Louisville, Kentucky

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Kentucky Derby Cultural

The most famous American horse race, held each spring at Churchill Downs racetrack in Kentucky.

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

The Kentucky Derby has come to Louisville on the first Saturday of May for nearly a century.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 8, 2026

Sunk cost and an invitation to watch the Kentucky Derby at a friend’s apartment kept me going.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 14, 2026

After becoming the first woman to win the Kentucky Derby, her family expects more victories.

From Los Angeles Times • May 6, 2026

Golden Tempo rallied deep in the pack to win the Kentucky Derby on Saturday, making Cherie DeVaux the first female trainer to win the big race.

From Los Angeles Times • May 3, 2026

After War Admiral, fuming and frustrated, held up the start for eight minutes, victory in the Kentucky Derby came easily to him.

From "Seabiscuit: An American Legend" by Laura Hillenbrand

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023