The only fillies to win the Kentucky Derby are Winning Colors (1988), Genuine Risk (1980), and Regret (1915). Each ran against males in preparation for the Kentucky Derby. The only two fillies to compete in all three Triple Crown races are Winning Colors and Genuine Risk. Both were bred by Henry Sturtevant and owned by Frank W. Armstrong.
In addition to Genuine Risk, other fillies have finished second in the Derby: Lady’s Party (1898), Miss Woodford (1917), Minniewaha (1929), and Sweetie (1930). There have been nine third-place finishes over all other filly/maiden races combined.
Of the 17 runners who have started in the Derby but not won, 12 were male. They include seven winners of other major races before the Derby (including two Preaknesses) and five others that finished behind only first-place votes. The other five were Oxbow (1982), Danzig Candy (1987), Royal Delta (1990), Prairie Star (1996), and Holy Bull (1998).
Two of these 17 came from the same race crew as Genuine Risk. That makes her the only filly to do so twice. She also finished second, to Blue Blood in 1945. A field of 18 runners competed in that race; Genuine Risk was ninth.
The Kentucky Derby was won by three female horses. Winning Colors, released in 1988, was the most recent. Genuine Risk won the Kentucky Derby in 1980, and Regret was the first female winner. She accomplished this accomplishment in 1915. Male horses have also won the Derby. Chief’s Crown won in 1898, and Champa D’Alene took home the prize in 1972.
Derby winners are identified by a number between 1 and 10. These numbers are called “race cards” and are printed below their names on race programs that are distributed throughout the city. The first-place finisher is identified by a card of 1; second by a card of 2, and so on down to tenth, which is represented by a card of 0.
There is no requirement that a horse run in the Derby. If a horse is not entered into the race, then its owners do not receive any money. The Derby is considered one of the premier events in American horse racing, and only those horses that meet the eligibility requirements may enter. Those who finish in the top two positions will receive prize money.
The term “male” refers to horses that have been castrated. This process removes all testicles and reduces them to skin and bone. It has become common practice among Derby candidates to be castrated before entering the race. This procedure is done to reduce the risk of injury during competition.
Only 11 fillies have won a Triple Crown race, none since Rachel Alexandra in the Preakness in 2009, and seeing a female horse entered in one of the sport’s three biggest events has grown unusual. That said, several good candidates can be found in recent years.
In fact, two different females have finished first, second and third in the three races that make up the Triple Crown. One of them was named after the same owner/breeder as Rachel Alexandra (Rajin), and they both were trained by Bob Baffert. The other female was called Prairie Courtly and she belonged to Norman Brannon.
Prairie Courtly was bred by Brannon’s company and raced under his name. She was undefeated in her four starts before finishing third behind Indian Princess in the 1996 Kentucky Oaks. She went on to win the Delaware Handicap that year before being retired due to injury.
After spending seven years at a private stable in California, Rajin returned to Baffert’s barn and together they have won five of the six Grade 1 stakes available for female horses. Including their victory in the 2014 Mother Goose Stakes, all five wins have come over a distance of 1 1/4 miles or more.
The top 20 horses are all colts, or young male horses. Although female racing horses are permitted to compete in the Derby, most fillies choose to compete in the Kentucky Oaks, a race conducted particularly for 3-year-old fillies on the day before the Kentucky Derby. Because of their age and experience, many consider the Oaks to be the better race for them.
Of the 20 horses that started in the 2018 Derby, only three were female: Authoritative, who finished second; Danica Patrick, who was disqualified for violating rules regarding drugs and alcohol; and Prancing Elite, who was euthanized after breaking her leg during the race.
All other horses were males. The only exceptions are when females are covered by their owners/drivers and named after men. For example, I’ll Always Have My Mother with Me is a female horse owned by Alice T. Jones who competed in the Derby in 1945. In fact, she was the first female horse to ever run in the Derby.
Female horses tend to be excluded from major races because they are unable to handle the stress of the race course. However, this has changed over time as female horses have become more accustomed to competition.
The Derby is a Group 1 race available to three-year-old colts and fillies. It is held at Epsom Downs Racecourse in Surrey. The first Derby was held in 1866 and it was won by Caulfield. Fillies have been able to compete in this race since 1974 when Milliena won the event.
The race is open to horses aged three years old and over. In Europe, only female horses are allowed to run in the Derby. There is no age limit for entrants into the Derby in England or Ireland but they must be three years old by 31 December of that year. In Scotland, the youngest age limit is four years old by 31 December of that year.
In North America, where males are usually older when they compete in the Derby, three-year-olds can enter. A filly can also win the race: Valuable’s daughter Filly Mettle became the first when she beat more than 20 other runners in 1880. She was trained by George S. Wigg and owned by William Mellen Bennett Jr..
The fillies will participate in the $1.25 million Grade 1 stakes event, and the winner will receive a lily garland. There are 14 horses in the race. Malathaat is the 5-2 favorite in the Kentucky Oaks betting for 2021. The other contenders include Royal Delta (2000), Miss Andreia (2021), Silverado Girl (2022), and Be Mine (2023).
The first running of the Kentucky Derby was held on May 7, 1875. The race is usually held on Derby Day (May 6). It is one of the three major American horse races — along with the Preakness Stakes and Belmont Stakes. The term “Derby Day” has become synonymous over time with public celebrations such as parades and festivals.
The winner of the Kentucky Derby earns 150 points and 3 pounds of white sugar added to their trophy. Second place gets 100 points, third gets 90 points, and so on down to tenth which gets 10 points. If no horse wins, a split decision result is used instead. In this case, the winner would earn 150 points while the second place finisher would get 20 points.
In 2014, I’ll Say! became the first female jockey to win the Derby when she took home the prize from Twilight Galaxy. She went on to finish fourth the following year.
Copyright © 2020 - 2026 Sportsmanist Inc.
