
Five Takeaways You Need to Know From an Action-Packed Kentucky Derby Weekend
The Kentucky Derby has a long and storied 145-year history. Throughout those 145 years, a total of 1,904 horses have raced for the roses and their names have been quite varied, from Aristides to Shut Out to Justify.
In fact, every letter except X has served as the first initial for a Derby runner. No horse whose name started with Q, X, or Y has won, but horses beginning with S have won a remarkable 19 times, more than any other letter. Find out the stats on every letter of the alphabet in the table below, courtesy of the Kentucky Derby Media Guide.
Letter |
Wins |
Starters |
Last Winner |
Year |
A |
11 |
97 |
Always Dreaming |
2017 |
B |
13 |
190 |
Big Brown |
2008 |
C |
12 |
146 |
California Chrome |
2014 |
D |
7 |
109 |
Dust Commander |
1970 |
E |
2 |
50 |
Exterminator |
1918 |
F |
7 |
92 |
Funny Cide |
2003 |
G |
8 |
85 |
Giacomo |
2005 |
H |
5 |
84 |
Hill Gail |
1952 |
I |
2 |
40 |
I’ll Have Another |
2012 |
J |
5 |
47 |
Justify |
2018 |
K |
2 |
34 |
Kauai King |
1966 |
L |
7 |
80 |
Lil E. Tee |
1992 |
M |
9 |
115 |
Mine That Bird |
2009 |
N |
3 |
40 |
Nyquist |
2016 |
O |
4 |
45 |
Orb |
2013 |
P |
7 |
113 |
Pleasant Colony |
1981 |
Q |
0 |
7 |
||
R |
5 |
93 |
Real Quiet |
1998 |
S |
19 |
202 |
Super Saver |
2010 |
T |
5 |
107 |
Thunder Gulch |
1995 |
U |
1 |
16 |
Unbridled |
1990 |
V |
2 |
35 |
Venetian Way |
1960 |
W |
7 |
67 |
War Emblem |
2002 |
X |
0 |
0 |
||
Y |
0 |
3 |
||
Z |
1 |
7 |
Zev |
1923 |