1875 Kentucky Derby Explained

The 1875 Kentucky Derby was the first running of the Kentucky Derby. The race took place on May 17, 1875.^{[1] [2]} The first Kentucky Derby was a 1.5-mile race, and the traditional distance of 1.25 miles was not established until the 1896 Derby.^[3] Thirteen of the fifteen jockeys in the race, including winner Oliver Lewis, were African-American.^[4] Attendance was estimated at 10,000.^[5]

The winner was Aristides, by two lengths. His jockey was Oliver Lewis, his trainer was Ansel Williamson, and his owner was H. Price McGrath. Aristides' half-brother and stablemate Chesapeake also ran in the race. Both Aristides' jockey and trainer were black. Aristides's time of 2 minutes and 37.75 seconds was at the time a world record for the distance.

Full results

Finished	Post	Horse	Jockey	Trainer	Owner	Time / behind
1st	1	Aristides	Oliver Lewis	Ansel Williamson	H. Price McGrath	2:37.75
2nd		Volcano	H. Williams		George H. Rice
3rd		Verdigris	W. Chambers		C. A. Lewis
4th		Bob Woolley	William Walker		Robinson, Morgan & Co.
5th		Ten Broeck	M. Kelso	Harry Colston	Frank B. Harper
6th		Grenoble	J. Carter		Allen Bashford
7th		Bill Bruce	M. Jones		S. J. Salyer
8th		Chesapeake	W. Henry		H. Price McGrath
9th		Searcher	Raleigh Colston Jr.		J. B. Rodes
10th		Ascension	William Lakeland		William Cottrill
11th		Enlister	Cyrus Holloway		Stringfield & Clay
12th		McCreery	D. Jones		Gen. Abe Buford
13th		Warsaw	Masterson		Stringfield & Clay
14th		Vagabond	J. Houston		A.B. Lewis & Co.
15th		Gold Mine	Stradford		James A. Grinstead

Payout

The winner received a purse of $2,850. The second-place finisher received $200.^[6]

Notes and References

1. Book: Renau, Lynn S. . John E. . Kleber . 2001 . The Encyclopedia of Louisville . Kentucky Derby . 467–470 . . . 0-8131-2100-0 . 247857447 . January 28, 2024 . March 13, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230313151808/https://books.google.com/books?id=pXbYITw4ZesC . live .
2. Book: O'Connor . John L. . History of the Kentucky Derby, 1875-1921 . First Derby 1875 . 134–137 . Rider Press . 1921 . New York . January 28, 2024.
3. Web site: Elliot . Jessica . Kentucky Derby Facts and History . https://web.archive.org/web/20130414094006/http://louisville.about.com/od/attractionsevents/p/kentuckyderby.htm . April 14, 2013 . About.com . January 28, 2024 . dead.
4. Web site: The First Kentucky Derby, May 17, 1875 . America's Library . https://web.archive.org/web/20221205120202/http://www.americaslibrary.gov/jb/recon/jb_recon_derby_2.html . December 5, 2022 . January 28, 2024 . dead.
5. Web site: What Happened from 1870 to 1879 . The People History . January 28, 2024 . December 10, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20231210003914/https://www.thepeoplehistory.com/1870to1879.html . live .
6. Web site: 1875 Kentucky Derby Results Tables . July 8, 2010 . https://web.archive.org/web/20110723045911/http://d3b4lt1s53xf6k.cloudfront.net/sites/kentuckyderby.com/files/charts/1875.pdf . July 23, 2011 . dead .