The American Derby is a Thoroughbred horse race in the United States run annually at

Arlington Park Arlington International Racecourse (formerly Arlington Park, the name was Arlington Park Jockey Club from as soon as 1948 up to 1955) was a horse race track in the Chicago suburb of Arlington Heights, Illinois. Horse racing in the Chicago re ...

Arlington Heights, Illinois Arlington Heights is a municipality in Cook County with a small portion in Lake County in the U.S. state of Illinois. A suburb of Chicago, it lies about northwest of the city's downtown. Per the 2020 Census, the population was 77,676. Per th ...

. The inaugural American Derby was held at Chicago's old Washington Park Race Track on the city's South Side and raced there until 1905, when the facility was closed following the state's ban on gambling and horse racing and the track was demolished. 1893's American Derby was the 2nd richest race in the U.S. during the 19th century.Reiss, Steven A., ''Horse Racing'', Eds. Grossman, James R., Keating, Ann Durkin, and Reiff, Janice L., 2004 ''The Encyclopedia of Chicago'', pp. 390-1. The University of Chicago Press, There was no racing in Chicago in 1895, 1896, 1897, 1899, and again in 1905 and 1906. The effect would be that the American Derby was not run from 1905 through 1925, except for 1916 when it was hosted by the Hawthorne Race Course in Stickney, Illinois. Revived in 1926, it evolved to become one of the important events of the American racing season that drew some of the very best horses from all over the country. It was run at the new Washington Park Race Track in Homewood, Illinois in 1926 and 1927 and then was held at the Arlington Park course in 1928 before returning to the new Washington Park in 1929 where it remained through 1957. From 1958-2021 the race has been run at Arlington Park until its closure. In 2022, the race took place at

Churchill Downs Churchill Downs is a horse racing complex located on Central Avenue in south Louisville, Kentucky, United States, famed for hosting the annual Kentucky Derby. It officially opened in 1875 and was named for Samuel Churchill, whose family was p ...

. Since 1992 the American Derby has been run on turf. Previously, it had been raced on the turf course from 1955 through 1957 and from 1970 through 1976. Over the years, the distance has varied: * miles: 1884–1904, 1926, 1927, 1958–1961, 1966–1974, 1976 * miles: 1928–1951, 1962–1965, 1977–1991 * miles: 1916, 1955–1957, 1992–2014 * miles: 1952–1954, 1958–1961, 1966–1974, 1976, 2015–2018 * miles: 1975, 2019–2021 *1 mile: 1952–1954, 1958–1961 Most wins by a

jockey A jockey is someone who rides horses in horse racing or steeplechase racing, primarily as a profession. The word also applies to camel riders in camel racing. The word "jockey" originated from England and was used to describe the individual ...

: * 5 –

Bill Shoemaker William Lee Shoemaker (August 19, 1931 – October 12, 2003) was an American jockey. For 29 years he held the world record for total professional jockey victories. Early life Referred to as "Bill", "Willie," and "The Shoe", William Lee Sho ...

* 5 – Eddie Arcaro * 4 – Isaac Burns Murphy

Hall of Fame A hall, wall, or walk of fame is a list of individuals, achievements, or other entities, usually chosen by a group of electors, to mark their excellence or fame in their field. In some cases, these halls of fame consist of actual halls or muse ...

George Woolf won the race three years in a row from 1942 to 1944. Most wins by a trainer: * 3 –

Horace A. Jones Horace A. "Jimmy" Jones (November 24, 1906 – September 2, 2001) was an American thoroughbred horse trainer. The son of Hall of Fame horse trainer Ben A. Jones, Jimmy Jones was born in Parnell, Missouri. Raised around horses from infancy, he ...

Ben A. Jones Benjamin Allyn Jones (December 31, 1882 – June 13, 1961) was an American thoroughbred horse trainer. Ben Jones was born in Parnell, Missouri, and attended Wentworth Military Academy in Lexington, Missouri for high school. Jones went into the ...

, Dermot K. Weld,

William I. Mott William I. "Bill" Mott (born July 29, 1953, in Mobridge, South Dakota) is an American horse trainer, most notable for his work with Cigar. Mott earned the Eclipse Award for Outstanding Trainer in 1995 and 1996. He was inducted into the Nationa ...

(2005, 2006, 2007) Most wins by an owner: * 8 –

Calumet Farm Calumet Farm is a Thoroughbred breeding and training farm established in 1924 in Lexington, Kentucky, United States by William Monroe Wright, founding owner of the Calumet Baking Powder Company. Calumet is located in the heart of the Bluegras ...

* 4 –

Lucky Baldwin Elias Jackson "Lucky" Baldwin (April 3, 1828 – March 1, 1909) was "one of the greatest pioneers" of California business, an investor, and real estate speculator during the second half of the 19th century. He earned the nickname "Lucky" Baldwin ...

Winners

† Dead Head in 1984 †† Dead Heat in 1994 ‡ In 1996, the first-place finisher Trail City was disqualified and placed second

Notes

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External links

Photo of 1916 American Derby at Hawthorne Race Course
Graded stakes races in the United States Flat horse races for three-year-olds 1884 establishments in Illinois Turf races in the United States Recurring sporting events established in 1884 Arlington Park Hawthorne Race Course Horse races in Illinois