Kentucky Derby 2019: Watch the race, see the incident that changed the outcome. Country House is this year's contender to win thoroughbred racing's Triple Crown - but only after the horse that.

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The road to the 2020 Kentucky Derby was one that no one should ever want to travel down again. Despite its bumps, detours and complicated schedule, however, the day still arrived, and a champion earned the prestigious victory.

Authentic became the first Kentucky Derby winner since Barbaro that started in a graded stakes race in the month of January.

1. The 145th Kentucky Derby is May 4, 2019! Derby Daily Report; Latest Odds; Prep Race Replays; Derby Media Poll; Free PPs; Expert Picks & Tickets; Follow the Kentucky Derby 2020 contenders this year! Fin Post Rating Silks Horse / Sire Trainer / Jockey Last Start HRN; 1st: 20: 7.32: Country House Lookin At Lucky: W. Prat: 1st, 2019.
2. Whichever way you look at 2019, the same is true for Country House and Maximum Security. The pair raced in January, but neither was a stakes race, and they didn't make their first start in a Kentucky Derby points race until after January. As for the other three Kentucky Derby winners since 2013, none of them raced in January.
3. If you’re hoping to stream the 2019 Kentucky Derby online rather than watch it on TV, there are Kentucky Derby live streaming options available — and yes, it’s possible to watch online for free. To start, there.

The closest since the points system started was in 2014 when California Chrome won the California Cup Derby. The differences were that it was not a graded stakes race, and the contest was not included in the Kentucky Derby points system set of races.

However, racing in January is not unheard of, as there have been other Kentucky Derby winners that also ran in the first month of the year. But as it turned out, those races were just a prelude to the Derby trail.

In 2013, Orb's first race after he broke his maiden at Aqueduct in November was an allowance optional claiming race at Gulfstream Park. After notching his second win in as many starts, the son of Malibu Moon entered and won his debut race on the Kentucky Derby trail next time out.

Four years later, Always Dreaming waited even longer before he won his first race. After striking out in his first two attempts, the son of Bodemiester took time off from racing but returned in January as a horse on a mission. Following his maiden win at Tampa Bay Downs, he won his debut race at Gulfstream in February before coming back to win the Florida Derby in March.

Whichever way you look at 2019, the same is true for Country House and Maximum Security. The pair raced in January, but neither was a stakes race, and they didn't make their first start in a Kentucky Derby points race until after January.

As for the other three Kentucky Derby winners since 2013, none of them raced in January. Nyquist did not run in November, December or January before returning to the Derby trail in February. The following year, American Pharoah's layoff was a bit longer. His final race of the Juvenile season came in late September, and he did not race again until March. Finally, Justify did not start his racing career until February of his 3-year-old season.

What's unusual about these three Kentucky Derby winners is that this trend became consistent in the years leading up to the points system era. In the final six years of the previous qualification system — graded stakes earnings — the Kentucky Derby winner did not race in January between 2007 and 2012.

So, whether it was a non-graded stakes race or no races at all, the formula chosen most often by the winning connections is to bypass graded stakes races in January. In the last 14 years, and from two different qualification systems, it's happened only once.

But if you consider only the years when the Kentucky Derby was raced in its traditional spot on the calendar, no one has done it since Barbaro won the Grade 3 Tropical Park Derby on Jan. 1, 2006. As for the Holy Bull, which we just saw over the weekend, Funny Cide is the most recent Kentucky Derby winner that used this race in the 3-year-old season before scoring in the main event under the Twin Spires on the first Saturday in May.

Here's a look back at the last 14 Kentucky Derby winners and how they started their 3-year-old season.

The intent here isn't to downgrade any of the performances we saw in January of this year. The objective also isn't to rule out any contenders that did start in a graded stake in the first month of the 3-year-old season. Finally, it wouldn’t be logical to say that Authentic, or any of the horses that started in a graded stake race last January, could not have won the Kentucky Derby if it wasn’t postponed.

Instead, it's an interesting pattern to look at when we assess the hopefuls that we have seen so far on the road to the 2021 Kentucky Derby and look ahead to the upcoming qualification races, where the points will increase. Trends don't last forever, and this could easily be one that doesn't stick around much longer.

Until then, can any of the starters from these January Kentucky Derby prep races, including Life is Good, Medina Spirit and Greatest Honour, become the next one to do it?

Sham Stakes

Lecomte Stakes

Smarty Jones

Robert B. Lewis (raced in January for the first time since 2004)

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About Me

Growing up across the river from the Bluegrass State, I was able to spend a lot of summer days at Ellis Park in Henderson, Ky. It was there that my attraction to the Sport of Kings began. In the spring of 2000, I made my inaugural Kentucky Derby appearance, and the tradition continues annually because there is no other city in the racing world like Louisville, Ky., on Derby Day.

Although the story of a Kentucky Derby winner is legendary, a champion's trail is what The Kentucky Derby Post is all about. It begins when 2-year-olds hit the track & continues until the field is set, the picks are in, and the roses are awarded.

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Woodford Reserve Releases 2021 Kentucky Derby Bottle Featuring Equine Artwork of Richard Sullivan

March 2, 2021 - Louisville, KY - Woodford Reserve®, the Presenting Sponsor of the Kentucky Derby®, is honoring “The Greatest Two Minutes in Sports” with the release of its 2021 commemorative Derby bottle.

It features the artwork of Louisville resident Richard Sullivan, a former professional baseball player. Sullivan’s stunning watercolor is of thoroughbreds as they thunder down the stretch. It was designed as a complement to last year’s Derby bottle artwork, which Sullivan also created.

“There is a depth of beauty in Richard’s watercolors -- and his back-to-back Derby bottles are a winning exacta,” said Woodford Reserve Master Distiller Chris Morris.

The one-liter bottles of Woodford Reserve Bourbon are on sale across the United States and the globe with a retail price of $49.99. It is available for pre-sale starting March 2 on Reserve Bar.

“The Kentucky Derby is resplendent with color, pageantry, and pure athleticism -- and I wanted to capture that in my artwork,” Sullivan said.

Sullivan played baseball at Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD), and in 2008, he was drafted by the Braves in the 11th round as a junior and played six years of minor league baseball. He returned to SCAD in 2014 to finish his degree and focus exclusively on his artwork.

His work is featured across the United States, including at The Atlanta Braves Truist Park, Mercedes Benz Stadium, and the National Baseball Hall of Fame.

Sullivan said he enjoys the parallels between sports and creativity, connecting two seemingly divided worlds that, in reality, require the same sense of dedication, practice, and expertise.

Bet On Kentucky Derby 2019 Online

The Derby bottle has been an annual collector’s item anticipated by bourbon and racing fans since 1999.

About Woodford Reserve

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Woodford Reserve® is crafted at the historic Woodford Reserve Distillery, tucked in the heart of thoroughbred country in Versailles, Kentucky. A National Historic Landmark, the Woodford Reserve Distillery represents craftsmanship with a balance of historic heritage and modern practices. Woodford Reserve is a product of the Brown-Forman Corporation, a premier producer and marketer of fine quality beverage alcohol brands including Jack Daniel’s, Finlandia, Korbel, Tequila Herradura, Old Forester, Sonoma-Cutrer and Chambord. Please enjoy your bourbon responsibly. To learn more about Woodford Reserve, visit us www.woodfordreserve.com or check us out on Facebook at www.facebook.com/woodfordreserve.

About Churchill Downs Racetrack

Churchill Downs®, the world’s most legendary racetrack, has conducted Thoroughbred racing and presented America’s greatest race, the Kentucky Derby, continuously since 1875. Located in Louisville, the flagship racetrack of Churchill Downs Incorporated (NASDAQ: CHDN) offers year-round simulcast wagering at the historic track. Churchill Downs will conduct the 145th running of the Kentucky Derby on May 4, 2019. For more information visit www.ChurchillDowns.com