Since 1875, Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky, has hosted "the most exciting two minutes in sports," the
Kentucky Derby. Also known as "The Run for the Roses"—for the blanket of 554 roses the winning horse receives—the race is 1 1/4 miles long and features 3-year-old thoroughbreds. The Derby is also the first jewel in horse racing's Triple Crown—the others are the Preakness Stakes and the Belmont Stakes. No horse has won all three since Affirmed, in 1978.