Road to the Kentucky Derby Contenders

Fierceness illustrates his laid-back personality (Photo by Alys Emson/Lane's End Farms)

Horse Info to Know

Horse breeds for the Kentucky Derby are Thoroughbred horses and are exclusively bred naturally. The foundation sires for Thoroughbred horses, or founding fathers, are the Darley Arabian (1700), Godolphin Arabian (1724) and Byerly Turk (1679).

No matter when a Thoroughbred horse is born, every Thoroughbred shares the same birthday of January 1st!

Horses can have an affinity to certain track surfaces and conditions. There are horses who thrive on grassy turf and others who may dominate on dirt. In both scenarios, even soft ground versus firm, or sloppy dirt can provide an advantage to horses who may be more comfortable with the changes. Yes, horses will naturally play in water puddles!

Horses who run in the Kentucky Derby are often purchased at horse auctions by their current owners. These sales, such as Keeneland, OBS, or Fasig-Tipton, can conduct horse sales for a specific age or context of the horses; like breeding stock versus two-year-olds in training and mixed age or sex.