The 2008 Kentucky Derby was the 134th running of the

Kentucky Derby The Kentucky Derby () is an American Graded stakes race, Grade I stakes Thoroughbred racing, race run at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky. The race is run by three-year-old Thoroughbreds at a distance of . Colt (horse), Colts and geldin ...

. The race took place on May 3, 2008, with 157,770 in attendance, the second largest in Derby history.Runner-up Eight Belles breaks front ankles, euthanized on track
Associated Press. May 3, 2008. Post time was 6:15 p.m. EDT and was televised in the United States on the

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast. It is one of NBCUniversal's ...

television network A television broadcaster or television network is a telecommunications network for the distribution of television show, television content, where a central operation provides programming to many television stations, pay television providers or ...

. Big Brown won the race by nearly five lengths.

Eight Belles Eight Belles (February 23, 2005 – May 3, 2008) was an American Thoroughbred racehorse who came second in the 2008 Kentucky Derby to the winner Big Brown. Her collapse just after the race resulted in immediate euthanasia. Earlier in the year ...

, the second-place finisher and the first

filly A filly is a female horse that is too young to be called a mare. There are two specific definitions in use: *In most cases, a ''filly'' is a female horse under four years old. *In some nations, such as the United Kingdom and the United States ...

to run the Derby in nine years, was euthanized following the end of the race after fracturing both front ankles while galloping out. It is believed to be the first fatality in Kentucky Derby history.

Payout

;The 134th Kentucky Derby Payout Schedule * $2

Exacta Parimutuel betting, or pool betting, is a betting system in which all bets of a particular type are placed together in a pool; taxes and the ''house-take'', or ''vigorish'', are deducted, and payoff odds are calculated by sharing the pool among a ...

(20-5) Paid $141.60 * $2

Trifecta Trifecta A trifecta is a parimutuel bet placed on a horse race in which the bettor must predict which horses will finish first, second, and third, in the exact order. Known as a trifecta in the US and Australia, this is known as a tricast in ...

(20-5-16) Paid $3,445.60 * $2

Superfecta {{Wiktionary The superfecta is a type of wager in the United States and Canada parimutuel betting in which the bettor, in order to win, must pick the first four finishers of a race in the correct sequence. This is even more unlikely than a success ...

(20-5-16-2) Paid $58,737.80

Field

Big Brown was made the 2-1 favorite off the strength of his win in the

Florida Derby The Florida Derby is an American Thoroughbred horse race for three-year-old horses held annually at Gulfstream Park in Hallandale Beach, Florida. Since 2005, it has been run five weeks before the Kentucky Derby, which is held on the first Saturd ...

. Other leading contenders included Colonel John (Santa Anita Derby), Pyro (Louisiana Derby), and the filly Eight Belles (Fantasy Stakes).

Subsequent Grade I wins

Several horses recorded Grade I wins after the Derby. * Big Brown – Preakness Stakes, Haskell Invitational * Bob Black Jack – Malibu Stakes * Colonel John – Travers Stakes * Court Vision – Hollywood Derby, 2009 Turf Mile Stakes, 2010 Breeders' Cup Mile, Gulfstream Park Turf Handicap, Woodbine Mile * Gayego – 2009 Ancient Title Stakes * Pyro – 2009 Forego Stakes * Tale of Ekati – Cigar Mile * Visionaire – King's Bishop Stakes

Subsequent breeding careers

Leading progeny of participants in the 2008 Kentucky Derby

Big Brown (1st) *

Dortmund Dortmund (; ; ) is the third-largest city in North Rhine-Westphalia, after Cologne and Düsseldorf, and the List of cities in Germany by population, ninth-largest city in Germany. With a population of 614,495 inhabitants, it is the largest city ...

– Los Alamitos Futurity, Santa Anita Derby. 3rd in 2015 Kentucky Derby Colonel John (6th) * La Coronel – Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Stakes Court Vision (13th) *

Storm the Court Storm the Court (foaled May 5, 2017) is an American Thoroughbred racehorse and the winner of the 2019 Breeders' Cup Juvenile. Career Storm the Court's first race was on August 10, 2019 at Del Mar Racetrack, where he came in first. On Septemb ...

– 2019 American champion 3yo, Breeders' Cup Juvenile * Mr. Havercamp – 2018 Canadian champion older horse * King and His Court – 2016 Canadian champion 2yo Tale of Ekati (4th) * Girvin – Haskell Invitational Sources
American Classic PedigreesEquibaseBlood-Horse Stallion Register

References

External links

* {{Kentucky Derby

2008 2008 was designated as: *International Year of Languages *International Year of Planet Earth *International Year of the Potato *International Year of Sanitation The Great Recession, a worldwide recession which began in 2007, continued throu ...

Derby Derby ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area on the River Derwent, Derbyshire, River Derwent in Derbyshire, England. Derbyshire is named after Derby, which was its original co ...

2000s in Louisville, Kentucky