Kentucky Derby

American  

noun

Trademark.

1. 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.

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Kentucky Derby British  

noun

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

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Kentucky Derby Cultural  

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

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Example Sentences

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

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

Ocelli was third at 70-1, followed by Chief Wallabee, who was trying to give jockey Junior Alvarado and trainer Bill Mott consecutive Kentucky Derby wins.

From Los Angeles Times • May 2, 2026

“Ella, do you remember the, um, third paragraph on page sixty-two—” “‘Secretariat,’” Ella said instantly, “‘favored three to two- in the 1973 Kentucky Derby, finished at standing track record of one fifty-nine and two fifths.’”

From "The Son of Neptune" by Rick Riordan