The long, rich history of the Kentucky Derby presented by Woodford Reserve stretches back over 150 years to its inaugural running in 1875. By reviewing decades of Kentucky Derby results for commonalities uniting past winners (or losers), handicappers can build a profile of a typical Kentucky Derby champion that we can use to identify the most likely winner each year.

Up to 20 lightly raced 3-year-old Thoroughbreds get loaded into the starting gate with somewhere in the neighborhood of 150,000 fans (many well-lubricated) whipped into a frenzy. Approximately two minutes after the horses begin the cavalry charge down the stretch for the first time, a new Kentucky Derby winner is feted in the winner’s circle.