American horse race run on the first Saturday in May at…

American horse race run on the first Saturday in May at Churchill Downs in Louisville. First held in 1875, it is contested by three-year-old thoroughbreds over one and a quarter miles and is nicknamed the Run for the Roses, after the blanket of flowers draped over the winner. It is the first leg of the Triple Crown, followed by the Preakness Stakes and Belmont Stakes. Spectators traditionally sip mint juleps.

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