The Kentucky Derby will be postponed for the first time in 75 years. Amid growing concerns about the coronavirus pandemic, Churchill Downs will postpone the Derby from May 2 to Sept. 5.
The last time the Kentucky Derby wasn’t held on the first Saturday in May was in 1945, when the government issued a ban on horse racing because of World War II. The ban was lifted on V-E Day (May 8), and the Derby was held on June 9. The only other year the Derby wasn’t held in May was in 1901, when it was raced on April 29.
The Kentucky Derby is the latest major sporting event to be postponed or canceled because of the coronavirus outbreak.
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