In 1945, the Kentucky Derby was postponed from the first Saturday in May, to Saturday June 9th because horse racing had been banned by the federal government from January through May as World War II was coming to an end.
You may be able to take a few things from a Kentuckian without a fight, but bourbon and horse racing aren’t one of them. So when the 1945 Kentucky Derby was canceled, locals were on the hunt for an alternative, and the original Kentucky Turtle Derby was born.
Held at the Jefferson County Armory, approximately 6,500 spectators watched as eight 20 foot turtle races were run. The crowd put up $11,483 in bets, while all the money raised from tickets, programs, entries, and sponsorships went to the Kentucky Society for Crippled Children. Though it wasn’t the usual Saturday in May at Churchill, the spirit of the Kentucky Derby was alive… just moving slowly!
The Races continued into the 50’s, but eventually slowed. That is until 2020… when the world came to a stand still. With the pandemic pausing life and sports as we knew it, Old Forester found light in their rich Kentucky history and thus the Kentucky Turtle Derby was reborn.