The Kentucky Derby is hailed as the most prestigious Thoroughbred horse race in the world. With an intense, fast-paced 1.25 miles, the Kentucky Derby is nicknamed "The Fastest Two Minutes in Sports".http://www.findingdulcinea.com/guides/Sports/Horse-Racing/Kentucky-Derby.html The Derby has taken place on the first Saturday in May every year since 1875 with only 3 year old horses eligible to compete.http://www.kentuckyderby.com/2009/muscle/aristides/ It is always held at the famous Churchill Downs racetrack in Louisville, Kentucky, and is the first leg of the Triple Crown, a collection of three races that finishes with the Preakness Stakes and the Belmont Stakes. http://www.triplecrownraces.com/ The Derby is also nicknamed "The Run for the Roses" because of the 554 roses that the winning horse wears around its neck after the race.http://www.runfortheroses.net/rftr.html The purse for the Kentucky Derby is 2 million dollars.

The 2010 Kentucky Derby will be taking place at Churchill Downs on May 1, 2010. Tickets are available for purchase on the official Kentucky Derby website and other retailers online.http://www.kentuckyderby.com

The Churchill Downs racetrack was established originally by Meriwether Lewis Clark Jr, the grandson of William Clark of the Lewis and Clark Expedition.http://www.betthederby.com/kentucky-derby-founders.html The first Kentucky Derby was originally run at 1 1/2 miles but was changed to its current 1 1/4 miles in 1894. The winner of the first Kentucky Derby was named Aristides, and was ridden by jockey Oliver Lewis.http://www.kentuckyderby.com/2009/muscle/aristides/ The first televised Kentucky Derby was on May 3, 1952.

The fastest Kentucky Derby time in history was Secretariat in 1973, who ran the race in 1 minute 59 2/5 seconds. This record has stood for 35 years.http://horseracing.about.com/od/kentuckyderby/tp/aa10fastderby.htm

At this point, it is still too early to solidify the lineup for the 2010 Kentucky Derby. Many horse racing analysts predict the following horses as having decent chances for the Derby this year.http://www.everyjoe.com/thoroughbredfever/kentucky-derby-dreams-top-10-dec-31st/

1. Buddy's Saint
2. Lookin at Lucky
3. Lentendor
4. Dublin
5. Take Control
6. D'Funnybone
7. Bulldogger
8. Eskendereya