Kentucky Derby Thoroughbred Horses

Ever wonder about the history of Kentucky Derby thoroughbred horses? Or thoroughbred horses in general? Well look no further. It is time for a lesson about thoroughbreds and Kentucky Derby thoroughbred horses.

To understand the Kentucky Derby thoroughbred horse, one must take a look at the origins of the thoroughbreds. Known as race horses, thoroughbreds were developed in the 17th century in England, when English mares began to be bred to imported Arabian stallions. The modern thoroughbred can be traced back to the addition of Arabian blood, and they carry genetics of three stallions imported to England; Darley Arabian, the Godolphin Arabian, and Byerly Turk. A horse cannot be registered as a thoroughbred (with a Jockey Club registry), unless it is conceived by “live cover”- natural mating of a mare and a stallion. This practice preserves the supply of thoroughbreds

With the first portion of the thoroughbred lesson out of the way, next up is the Kentucky Derby thoroughbred horse. A typical Kentucky Derby thoroughbred horse is 64 inches/1.63 meters high, and is bay (reddish brown body with black points), brown, chestnut, black, gray, or roan (mixture of white hairs with a base coat of another color) in color.  Kentucky Derby thoroughbred horses and other thoroughbreds that are born in the Northern Hemisphere become a year older on January 1st, and those Kentucky Derby thoroughbreds and others born in the Southern Hemisphere turn one on August 1st. Artificial dates were set to enable the standardization of races for Kentucky Derby thoroughbred horses and other thoroughbreds in certain age groups.

Out of 35,000 Kentucky Derby thoroughbred horses, only 20 Kentucky Derby thoroughbred horses run in the Kentucky Derby. 400 Kentucky Derby thoroughbred horses are nominated by their owners to run in the Kentucky Derby. The other factor involved with getting into the Kentucky Derby, besides being nominated by an owner, is for a Kentucky Derby thoroughbred horse- hopeful to place in the top 20 of thoroughbreds that have won the most money (based off of the graded stakes earnings)  in some of the winter’s biggest races. Some of the many graded stakes that the Kentucky Derby-bound thoroughbred horses participate in are the Blue Grass Stakes, Lexington Stakes, Arkansas Derby, and Santa Anita Derby. All graded stakes races lead up to the Kentucky Derby, the first leg of the Triple Crown.

The Kentucky Derby thoroughbred horse and other thoroughbreds are the fastest breed of horses in the world, and can maintain a speed of 45 mph for more than a mile. Typical Kentucky Derby thoroughbred horses and other thoroughbreds are capable of running only at quarter of a mile (400 meters) at peak speed. During the Kentucky Derby races, the Kentucky Derby thoroughbred horses-colts and geldings, and fillies cannot carry more than 126 and 121 pounds, respectively. Each Kentucky Derby thoroughbred horse has to be weighed out before going to starting gate and receiving a stall. Kentucky Derby thoroughbred horses wear bridles, bits, reins, and blinkers during the race.  

The general thoroughbred and Kentucky Derby thoroughbred horse lesson comes to a conclusion now, but be sure to check out these Kentucky Derby thoroughbred horses at the Kentucky Derby and inside the Kentucky Derby Museum. Enjoy the Kentucky Derby!