Kentucky Derby May 5, 2006

The Kentucky Derby is a stakes race for three-year-old thoroughbred horses, staged yearly in Louisville, Kentucky on the first Saturday in May, capping the two-week-long Kentucky Derby Festival. The race currently covers one and one-quarter miles (2.012 km) at Churchill Downs; colts and geldings carry 126 pounds (57 kg), fillies 121 pounds (55 kg). The race, known as "The Most Exciting Two Minutes in Sports" for its approximate time length, is the first leg of the Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing in the United States. It typically draws around 155,000 fans.

The Kentucky Derby is one of the crown jewels of the elusive Triple Crown which includes the Belmont Stakes and the Preakness Stakes.

For over 125 years the Kentucky Derby has been everyone's race - from the dapper men and beautiful women, all in hats and sipping on frosty mint juleps, to the laid-back infield crowd who picnic on fried chicken and toss around Frisbees.

They're all there to witness the world's premier horse-racing event. "Riders up" booms the paddock judge. The trainers give a leg up to the riders and send them out through the tunnel and onto the world's most famous track as the University of Louisville band strikes up Stephen Foster's "My Old Kentucky Home".

Official Website: http://www.kentuckyderby.com/2006/