1. Nineteen past winners have had names beginning with the letter "S," including Secretariat.
2. The amount of food consumed at the Derby is pretty astounding. On average, spectators will eat 142,000 hot dogs, 18,000 barbecue sandwiches, 13,800 pounds of beef, 32,400 jumbo shrimp, 9,000 scallops, 8,000 pounds of potatoes, 30,000 cookies and 300,000 strawberries.
3. Only three horses ran in the 1892 and 1905 Kentucky Derby races.
4. It makes up one third of the coveted Triple Crown along with the Belmont Stakes and the Preakness Stakes.
5. The traditional drink of the Derby is the mint julep, and over 120,000 are said to be consumed at the race each year.
6. Diane Crump was the first woman jockey to ever ride in the Derby; there has yet to be a winning female jockey, but Shelley Riley came the closest in 1992 when she came in second.
7. The Kentucky Derby trophy only weighs 3.5 lbs.
8. The title of youngest jockey to win the esteemed race is shared by Alonzo "Lonnie" Clayton and James "Soup" Perkins—both were just 15 come Derby day in 1892 and 1895, respectively. Bill Shoemaker continues to hold the title as the oldest winner; he was 54 when he took home the 1986 title.
9. Mike Smith has ridden the most Kentucky Derby horses (27) in history, beating out Bill Shoemaker's record of 26 in 2021.
10. The record low temperature at the race (traditionally held on the first weekend of May) was 47 degrees in 1935 and 1957. The record high was 94 degrees in 1959.
11. Churchill Downs founder and president Col. M. Lewis Clark might have made the rose the official flower of the race after attending an 1883 post-derby party where socialite E. Berry Wall was handing the flower out to the ladies in attendance.
12. The Derby is also referred to as 'The Run for the Roses' because the winner is awarded a blanket sewn with over 400 roses post-race. This blanket weighs about 40 lbs.
13. Owner Calumet Farm holds the record for most Kentucky Derby wins, with 8. "Plain Ben" Jones holds the record for trainer with the most wins (6).
14. Post No. 1 has become known as "the dreaded rail" due to its tendency to leave horses boxed in behind other racers, making it difficult to pull away from the pack.
15. 1919 champion Sir Barton was the first Triple Crown winner, however he hadn't won a race before arriving at the Derby.
16. All thoroughbred race horses have the same birthday—January 1. No matter what day a horse was born on during the year, race horse age is marked from New Year's Day in order to make it easier to keep track of bloodlines.

—Courtesy of Town &  Country Magazine