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Kentucky Derby Quizzes, Trivia and Puzzles
Kentucky Derby Quizzes, Trivia

Kentucky Derby Trivia

Kentucky Derby Trivia Quizzes

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17 Kentucky Derby quizzes and 205 Kentucky Derby trivia questions.
1.
  Mine That Bird   top quiz  
Multiple Choice
 15 Qns
Here is the story of Mine That Bird, the diminutive horse of noble pedigree but humble origins that nobody expected to win the Kentucky Derby in 2009!
Average, 15 Qns, gracious1, Jul 13 13
Average
gracious1 gold member
296 plays
2.
  A Kentucky Derby Burgoo I   top quiz  
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
Burgoo is a traditional rural Kentuckian stew of assorted meats and veggies. In that spirit, here's a potluck of questions about "the most exciting two minutes in sports" from 1875 to 2016. Some are for true race fans only. Can YOU become a BURGOO KING?
Average, 10 Qns, gracious1, Aug 03 16
Average
gracious1 gold member
185 plays
3.
  Kentucky Derby 2013   best quiz  
Multiple Choice
 15 Qns
All about the exciting 139th Kentucky Derby, held on Saturday, May 4, 2013. Did you watch it? Can you recall it? Did you pay attention to all the commentary? Are you a Derby doctor or a Derby dabbler?
Tough, 15 Qns, gracious1, Jun 16 13
Tough
gracious1 gold member
243 plays
4.
  The Kentucky Derby Quiz Challenge    
Multiple Choice
 20 Qns
This quiz has fun trivia about the greatest two minutes in sports.
Average, 20 Qns, sherlido, May 03 09
Average
sherlido
2050 plays
5.
  Kentucky Derby Burgoo II   popular trivia quiz  
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
Burgoo is a traditional Kentuckian stew of mixed meats and veggies. So have a 2nd potluck of *tougher* trivia about the first 145 races of the Kentucky Derby, 1875-2019, and another chance for a real Derby nerd to be a Burgoo King.
Average, 10 Qns, gracious1, May 17 20
Average
gracious1 gold member
May 17 20
109 plays
6.
  The Fabulous Fillies of the Kentucky Derby   popular trivia quiz  
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
Take a Genuine Risk on this quiz on the only three fillies to get the garland of roses the Kentucky Derby, in Winning Colors. Plus some questions on some other distaffers who finished in the money or also ran. You won't Regret it.
Average, 10 Qns, gracious1, Feb 19 19
Average
gracious1 gold member
Feb 19 19
233 plays
7.
  2015 Kentucky Derby    
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
The 2015 Kentucky Derby was a thrilling race with a fantastic field. Test your knowledge of the race with this quiz. Note that any mention of odds are morning-line odds. Best of luck!
Easier, 10 Qns, Triviaballer, May 03 15
Easier
Triviaballer gold member
304 plays
8.
  Kentucky Derby: The First 100 Years    
Multiple Choice
 25 Qns
This quiz is about the Kentucky Derby in the first 100 years (1875-1975). Please enjoy it.
Tough, 25 Qns, FrostKami, May 03 09
Tough
FrostKami
563 plays
9.
  2008 Kentucky Derby   popular trivia quiz  
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
This quiz tests players knowledge of the 2008 Kentucky Derby. Best of luck!
Average, 10 Qns, Triviaballer, May 03 09
Average
Triviaballer gold member
794 plays
10.
  2014 Kentucky Derby    
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
This quiz will ask you to answer questions that are related to the 2014 Kentucky Derby.
Average, 10 Qns, lout62001, May 04 14
Average
lout62001 gold member
193 plays
trivia question Quick Question
With so much at stake, in horse-racing lingo, where did Mine That Bird, winner of the Kentucky Derby, finish in the 2009 Preakness Stakes?

From Quiz "Mine That Bird"




11.
  Pedigrees: Kentucky Derby Winners    
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
I will provide you with the sire, grandsire, dam, and damsire of a Kentucky Derby winner. Often, but not always, horses names are derived from one or both parents. The choices provided will be three Derby winners plus a red herring.
Average, 10 Qns, maninmidohio, May 03 09
Average
maninmidohio gold member
584 plays
12.
  Kentucky Derby Seconds    
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
Everyone knows the big winners and those who achieved firsts in the Kentucky Derby. But who knows those who ran second, or those who were second to achieve a feat e.g. the 2nd filly to win, the 2nd horse to run under 2 minutes.
Tough, 10 Qns, veggiemagic, May 03 09
Tough
veggiemagic
634 plays
13.
  10 Question The Kentucky Derby Quiz    
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
The Kentucky Derby is the biggest event to happen in my lovely city. See how much you know about the Derby.
Average, 10 Qns, delainey, May 03 09
Average
delainey
890 plays
14.
  Kentucky Derby    
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
Call it "the most famous two minutes in sports" or "The Run for the Roses," but either way it is the most famous horse race in the world. Here are some questions to test your knowledge.
Average, 10 Qns, catky, May 03 09
Average
catky
801 plays
15.
  The Fastest Two Minutes in Sports    
Match Quiz
 10 Qns
Match the winning horse and jockey of this most famous race, the Kentucky Derby.
Tough, 10 Qns, zambesi, May 22 16
Tough
zambesi
299 plays
16.
  Kentucky Derby Fun    
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
Let's see how much you know about Kentucky Derby history ... good luck!
Difficult, 10 Qns, zepcat, May 03 09
Difficult
zepcat
1810 plays
17.
  Kentucky Derby 2003    
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
This quiz is on the 2003 Kentucky Derby horse race, one of the most exciting moments in sports!
Average, 10 Qns, marchmadness, Jul 22 16
Average
marchmadness
739 plays

Kentucky Derby Trivia Questions

1. It's fairly common knowledge that Secretariat posted the fastest winning Kentucky Derby, 1:59⅖ in 1973. But who posted the second fastest time across the finish line that year?

From Quiz
Kentucky Derby Burgoo II

Answer: Sham

The dark bay Sham crossed the finish line at the 99th Kentucky Derby just 2​½ lengths behind Secretariat meaning he ran the course between 1:59⅘​ and 2:00⅕. That itself would have been a record had it not been for Secretariat, as the previous record had been held by Northern Dancer, who had finished in two minutes flat in 1964. Because Sham crossed the line 10 frames of film behind Secretariat (according to the CBS footage), it has been estimated that his time may have been only 0.34 seconds shy of Secretariat. A sizable horse at over 16 hands, Sham would have been a champion in any other year, but he will always lurk in Secretariat's shadow. Not until 2001 did another horse break the two-minute barrier, namely Monarchos at 1:59.97, conventionally listed as 1:59⅘. (By 2001, racing clocks were electronically timed to hundredths of a second, rather than fifths of a second as they had been in decades earlier.) No other horse through 2019, not even the amazing American Pharaoh (2015) completed the Run for the Roses under two minutes.

2. Which two decades had the most fillies starting in the Kentucky Derby?

From Quiz The Fabulous Fillies of the Kentucky Derby

Answer: 1870s & 1910s

The first Kentucky Derby was in 1875, and in the first five Derbys there were no less than 7 fillies starting. Another seven started in the 1910s. The 1920s and 1930s each boasted six fillies starting in the Derby. There were 3 starting fillies apiece in the 1980s and 1990s. There was only one filly in the 1880s, Pike's Pride (1883); in the 1940s, Misweet (1945); in the 1950s, Silver Spoon (1959); and in the 2000s, Eight Belles (2008). No fillies entered the Kentucky Derby in the 1890s or the 1960s.

3. Which horse won the 2014 Kentucky Derby?

From Quiz 2014 Kentucky Derby

Answer: California Chrome

California Chrome won the derby with a stirring stretch run, about two lengths ahead of hard charging Commanding Curve. The race was the colt's fifth straight win with new jockey, Victor Espinoza (he replaced Alberto Degrado). He was the first California bred horse to win the race since 1962 when Decidely won it. The race was the colt's seventh career win in 11 starts.

4. Orb was the morning-line favorite for the 2013 Kentucky Derby with odds of 7-2. Who ended up the favorite by the time the horses loaded into the starting gate?

From Quiz Kentucky Derby 2013

Answer: Orb

A bay colt with a small white star, Orb was bred and owned by Stuart S Janney III and Phipps Stable. Claude R. "Shug" Mcgaughey III trained Orb, who drew post position 16, near the outside of the track. He entered the race with four consecutive wins, including the Fountain of Youth Stakes and the Florida Derby, in which he defeated another 2013 Derby contender, Itsmyluckyday, by 2¾ lengths. Orb's rider was John Velazquez in both the Florida and the Kentucky derbies. By early Saturday, the clear betting favorite had become Revolutionary, ridden by Calvin Borel, a celebrated Cajun jockey and three-time Derby winner. NBC sports commentators speculated that it was more the jockey than horse that attracted bettors, especially Kentucky residents, who also bet heavily on Goldencents, partly owned by University of Louisville basketball coach Rick Pitino. The final odds, however, reveal that Orb once again became the favorite at 5-1, with Revolutionary close behind at 6-1. Verrazano, who at one time was thought to be a favorite, was 8-1.

5. One of the most important races in the USA is the Kentucky Derby. It is held at Churchill Downs, known for its twin spires. In which city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky will you find this glorious racetrack?

From Quiz A Kentucky Derby Burgoo I

Answer: Louisville

Churchill Downs opened in 1875 under the auspices of Colonel Meriwether Clark, Jr., grandson of explorer William Clark. Col. Clark was the president of the Louisville Jockey Club, which had formed just the year prior. His father-in-law introduced Clark to horse racing by bringing him to the English Derby at Epsom Downs, Surrey, England. Churchill Downs is named for brothers John and Henry Churchill, who leased the land on which the track was built to Col. Clark, their nephew. The federal government declared the Downs a National Historic Landmark in 1986. The Downs is famous for its twin spires, which unfortunately are difficult to view from most angles since the additions to the clubhouse in the early 21st century.

6. Which Kentucky Derby winner has the following pedigree? Sire- Bold Bidder Grandsire- Bold Ruler Dam- Spectacular Damsire- Promised Land

From Quiz Pedigrees: Kentucky Derby Winners

Answer: Spectacular Bid

Spectacular Bid was the 1979 winner of the Kentucky Derby. He went on to win the Preakness, but failed to win the Belmont. With 26 victories in 30 starts his winnings was a then record setting amount. His sire, Bold Bidder also sired the 1974 Derby winner, Cannonade. His grandsire, Bold Ruler, was the sire of Secretariat, the Kentucky Derby winner in 1973. Exterminator was the Derby winner in 1916, while Bold Venture won in 1936.

7. This black horse won the Kentucky Derby in 1895, and his son won the Derby in 1902. What were the names of this first father son combo?

From Quiz Kentucky Derby: The First 100 Years

Answer: Halma and Alan-a-Dale

Man O' War did not run in the Kentucky Derby, but his son Clyde Can Dusen won in 1929. McGee likewise never ran in the Derby, but his famous son Exterminator won in 1918. Bold Ruler ran in the 1957 Derby but came in 4th; his famous son Secretariat won the Triple Crown in 1973.

8. Affirmed won the triple crown in 1978, beating the same horse in each of the three races. Which horse came in second each race?

From Quiz Kentucky Derby Seconds

Answer: Alydar

Alydar won 2 out of 6 races against Affirmed when they were 2 year olds. Alydar would make a better sire than Affirmed. Alydar would sire Kentucky Derby winners Alysheba (1987) and Strike the Gold (1991). Affirmed's offspring prefered turf races like Eclipse winner Flawlessly.

9. While he didn't actually found the Kentucky Derby, this man is credited with making it such a popular event.

From Quiz Kentucky Derby

Answer: Colonel Matt Winn

Matt Winn was the marketing king of his time. Colonel M. Lewis Clark was the actual founder of Churchill Downs. H.P McGrath owned Aristides, the first horse to win the Derby and Oliver Lewis was the jockey.

10. What horse won the first Kentucky Derby?

From Quiz The Kentucky Derby

Answer: Aristides

Aristides won in 1875 and was the favorite with 2-1 odds.

11. When was the first Kentucky Derby run?

From Quiz The Kentucky Derby

Answer: 1875

The first Kentucky Derby was won by Aristides who was also the favorite to win the race.

12. What color of horse won the Kentucky Derby most often during the first 115 races?

From Quiz Kentucky Derby Fun

Answer: Bay

Bay-58, Chestnut-39, Brown-17, Roan-1.

13. Secretariat holds the record for the fastest Kentucky Derby at 1¼ miles, but what 19th-century horse held the record when the race was 1½ miles?

From Quiz Kentucky Derby Burgoo II

Answer: Spokane

When the Kentucky Derby began at Churchill Downs in 1875, the length was a grueling 12 furlongs, or 1½ miles. The Kentucky Derby is limited to three-year-old horses, and many horse trainers and owners thought it was too early in the year to race such young Thoroughbreds. (The issue is compounded by the fact that all Thoroughbreds have an official birthday on January 1. So a foal born in April is officially one year old the following January; likewise, a foal born in August is also one year old the following January). In 1896, therefore, the race was shortened to 1¼ miles. Winning that first shorter Derby, Ben Brush was draped in a blanket of white and pink roses.

14. Which filly was the first to finish in the money (1st, 2nd, or 3rd) in the Kentucky Derby?

From Quiz The Fabulous Fillies of the Kentucky Derby

Answer: Lady Navarre

Lady Navarre finished second to Sir Huon in the 32nd Kentucky Derby in 1906 in a field of six horses. She was the first filly even to start in the Derby since 1883 (a 23-year gap). The 32nd Derby was the first one timed to fifths of a second rather than fourths. Lady Navarre was also the first filly to run in both the Kentucky Oaks (the Derby's fillies-only sister race) and the Kentucky Derby. Lady Navarre finished second again to Sir Huon in the Latonia Derby. Ascension and Gold Mine were the first fillies ever to start in the Kentucky Derby. They raced in 1875 at the very first Derby and finished 10th and 15th to Aristides. Lizzie Stone finished sixth in the second Kentucky Derby ever held (1876), losing to Vagrant, who carried only 97 pounds (in modern Kentucky Derbys the weight is 126 pounds for all horses).

15. Who was the trainer for the winning horse at the 2014 Kentucky Derby?

From Quiz 2014 Kentucky Derby

Answer: Art Sherman

California Chrome was trained by Art Sherman,77 and his son Alan Sherman, and was the first horse they ever entered to run in the Kentucky Derby. The elder Sherman's experience in the thoroughbred racing industry dates back to the 1955 Kentucky Derby when he was the exercise rider for Swaps, the race winner.

16. In October 2008, Mine That Bird was purchased by the Double Eagle Ranch and Buena Suerte Equine and brought to the USA to be trained by Richard Mandella. Where was this Double Eagle Ranch located?

From Quiz Mine That Bird

Answer: New Mexico

In fact the ranch is in the high plains just outside Roswell, New Mexico, the city famous for an alleged UFO incident in 1947. Mine That Bird's new owners were Mark Allen and Dr. Leonard Bloch. Mark Allen obtained the money to buy Mine That Bird from the sale of his family's oil company. The year before, Mark and his father Bill were involved in an oil-related bribery scandal with an Alaska state representative, but in a plea bargain, Bill obtained immunity for Mark. Had Mark been convicted, he would have lost his license to own horses under New Mexico state law, and he never could have taken Mine That Bird to the winner's circle.

17. Which trainer had the most entrants in the 2013 Kentucky Derby?

From Quiz Kentucky Derby 2013

Answer: Todd Pletcher

The horses trained by Todd Pletcher for the 2013 Kentucky Derby were: Verrazano, Revolutionary, Overanalyze, Palace Malice, and Charming Kitten. Pletcher has won the Eclipse Award for Outstanding Trainer of the Year four times consecutively (2004-07). His breakthrough win was three-year-old Ashado's victory in the 2004 Kentucky Oaks. In 2007, Pletcher's horse Rags to Riches became the first filly to win the Belmont Stakes since 1905; it was the trainer's first Triple Crown victory. D. Wayne Lukas trained Oxbow and Will Take Charge for the 2013 Kentucky Derby. Chad Brown's charge was Normandy Invasion. Bob Baffert had no entries in 2013.

18. There are many traditions associated with the Kentucky Derby apart from the race itself. A lasting one is that the victorious horse is led to the winner's circle draped in a garland of what flowers?

From Quiz A Kentucky Derby Burgoo I

Answer: Red Roses

The garland was introduced for the 58th Kentucky Derby, won by none other than Burgoo King, a chestnut colt from Idle Hour Stock Farm near Lexington, Kentucky. Since then, each year several workers sew 400 red roses into a green satin backing. Embroidered on one end is the seal of the Commonwealth of Kentucky, and on the other, the Twin Spires of Churchill Downs and the number of the running (e.g. 139 in 2013). The horse gets the garland, but the jockey gets a huge bouquet of 60 long-stemmed red roses wrapped in ten yards of ribbon. As for the remaining answer choices... The winner of the Preakness Stakes, second jewel of the U.S. Triple Crown, is draped in black-eyed Susans (actually daisies painted to look like black-eyed Susans because they are out of season). The winner of the third jewel, the Belmont Stakes, receives a blanket of white carnations. Goldenrod, a prodigious wildflower, is the state flower of Kentucky.

19. Which Kentucky Derby winner has the following pedigree? Sire- Caro Grandsire- Fortino Dam- All Rainbows Damsire- Bold Hour

From Quiz Pedigrees: Kentucky Derby Winners

Answer: Winning Colors

Winning Colors won the Kentucky Derby in 1988. She was only one of three fillies to accomplish the feat. She was voted outstanding filly of the year in 1988. Derby winners Pensive (1944) and Ponder (1949) are among the ancestors of Winning Colors. Pink Star won the Derby in 1907 and Gato Del Sol in 1982.

20. Bull Lea sired how many Kentucky Derby winners?

From Quiz Kentucky Derby: The First 100 Years

Answer: 3

Bull Lea was the sire of 1948 Triple Crown winner Citation, the 1952 Derby winner Hill Gail and the 1957 Derby winner Iron Liege.

21. Who got second in the 1953 Kentucky Derby?

From Quiz Kentucky Derby Seconds

Answer: Native Dancer

Dark Star won the race by a head. It would be Native Dancer's only loss in 22 starts. The "Grey Ghost" would, however, be named co-horse of the year.

22. In what year was the first Kentucky Derby run?

From Quiz Kentucky Derby

Answer: 1875

The first Derby was run on May 17, 1875; won by Aristides.

23. What song is sung before the Big Race?

From Quiz The Kentucky Derby

Answer: My Old Kentucky Home

'My Old Kentucky Home' was written by Stephen Foster. There is a real My Old Kentucky Home in Bardstown, Kentucky.

24. What is the name of the race track where the Kentucky Derby is held?

From Quiz The Kentucky Derby

Answer: Churchill Downs

Churchill Downs was incorporated in 1937.

25. When Winning Colors won in 1988, she was the ______ filly to win the Derby.

From Quiz Kentucky Derby Fun

Answer: 3rd

Winning Colors 1988, Genuine Risk 1980, and Regret 1915.

26. Generating enough publicity to put the Kentucky Derby on the map, who was the first filly to win the Kentucky Derby?

From Quiz The Fabulous Fillies of the Kentucky Derby

Answer: Regret

Regret was a chestnut filly foaled in New Jersey. She broke her maiden at first asking in the 1914 Saratoga Special. An exceptionally large filly, Regret raced only against colts, never other fillies. Regret's win came at time when some unusual things happened at the Kentucky Derby to make it hit the front pages of the newspapers. In 1913, the long-shot Donerail won at 91-1, paying $184.90 on a $2 bet and setting a record for the longest odds that stood well into the 21st century. The following year, Old Rosebud set a speed record for the Derby at 2:03, and kept that record for sixteen years. Then in 1915, the muscular filly Regret won. Matt J. Winn, owner of Churchill Downs and the "Kentucky Derby" name in the 1910s, once remarked: "The race needed only a victory by Regret to create some more coast-to-coast publicity to really put it over. She did not fail us. Regret made the Kentucky Derby an American institution." Regret was inducted into the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame in 1957.

27. Which two horses in the 2015 Kentucky Derby were trained by Bob Baffert and were the odds-on favorites to win the race?

From Quiz 2015 Kentucky Derby

Answer: American Pharoah and Dortmund

American Pharoah had 5-2 odds while Dortmund had 3-1 odds. Before the 2015 Kentucky Derby Bob Baffert had trained Silver Charm, Real Quiet and War Emblem who all won the first two legs of the Triple Crown in prior years.

28. Mine That Bird is descended from what racehorse (nicknamed the Grey Ghost), whose descendants have dominated U.S. Classic races (the Triple Crown races)?

From Quiz Mine That Bird

Answer: Native Dancer

In particular Native Dancer's tail-male descendants have dominated the Triple Crown races. (Tail-male means direct sire line, from father to son to grandson to great-grandson, etc.) Native Dancer was an accomplished racehorse and quite the celebrity in his day; his only loss was the 1953 Kentucky Derby. "Blood Horse" magazine ranked him as the seventh-greatest horse of the 20th century, while the Associated Press ranked him as number three, in a tie with Citation, with only Secretariat and Man o' War outranking him.

29. Which jockey in the 2013 Kentucky Derby had retired, entered a career in entertainment, and then returned to racing in an attempt to become the second-oldest rider of a Derby winner?

From Quiz Kentucky Derby 2013

Answer: Gary Stevens

Gary Lynn Stevens of Caldwell, Idaho dropped out of high school to become a jockey. He won the Derby in 1988 on Winning Colors, in 1995 on Thunder Gulch, and in 1997 on Silver Charm. (Winning Colors was the last filly to win the Derby in the 20th century.) After retirement, Gary found work in 2006 as a commentator for NBC Sports and TVG Network (the first horse-racing specialty channel in the USA). He also took up acting and played jockey George Woolf in the movie "Seabiscuit" (2003). The fifty-year-old had to change his life and get back in shape to ride again, and on Derby Day 2013 he weighed less than he did before retirement. Jerry Bailey, who rode Sea Hero to victory in the 1993 Kentucky Derby, also retired around the same time as Gary Stevens, and together they worked as sports analysts for NBC. Amazed at Stephen's accomplishment, Bailey commented on race day 2013 that he could never be like Gary!

30. Which Kentucky Derby winner has the following pedigree? Sire- Blenhiem II Grandsire- Blandford Dam- Dustwhirl Damsire- Sweep

From Quiz Pedigrees: Kentucky Derby Winners

Answer: Whirlaway

Whirlaway was the fifth Triple Crown winner. In 1941 Whirlaway won the Kentucky Derby, Preakness Stakes, and Belmont Stakes. Whirlaway's ancestors included Ben Brush, the winner of the 1896 Derby. Count Fleet won the Derby in 1943, while Swaps won in 1955.

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