The American Derby is a
Thoroughbred horse race in the United States run annually at
Arlington Park in
Arlington Heights, Illinois. 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.[1]
There was no racing in Chicago in 1895, 1896, 1897, 1899, and again in 1905 and 1906. [citation needed]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. [citation needed]
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.[2]
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:
‡ In 1996, the first-place finisher Trail City was disqualified and placed second
Notes
^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,
ISBN0-226-31015-9
The American Derby is a
Thoroughbred horse race in the United States run annually at
Arlington Park in
Arlington Heights, Illinois. 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.[1]
There was no racing in Chicago in 1895, 1896, 1897, 1899, and again in 1905 and 1906. [citation needed]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. [citation needed]
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.[2]
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:
‡ In 1996, the first-place finisher Trail City was disqualified and placed second
Notes
^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,
ISBN0-226-31015-9