Ever watched the Kentucky Derby and wondered why everyone’s sipping mint juleps, or scratched your head trying to figure out what exactly a “furlong” measures? With centuries of traditions, specialized terminology, and legendary horses with names like Secretariat and Man o’ War, understanding the “Sport of Kings” can be more challenging than picking the winner in a 20-horse field! Our horse racing trivia collection gallops through these barriers with questions covering everything from Triple Crown showdowns to the greatest jockeys ever to don silks.
Challenge yourself with these FIFA Soccer Trivia Questions
Horse Racing Trivia Questions and Answers
- What is the most famous horse race in the United States?
Answer: Kentucky Derby - What do you call a young horse that is less than four years old?
Answer: A colt (male) or filly (female) - In which month is the Kentucky Derby held each year?
Answer: May - What flower is associated with the Kentucky Derby?
Answer: Roses - How many horses typically compete in the Kentucky Derby?
Answer: 20 horses - What is the name of the track where the Kentucky Derby is held?
Answer: Churchill Downs - What do you call the person who rides the horse in a race?
Answer: Jockey - What is the Triple Crown in horse racing?
Answer: Winning the Kentucky Derby, Preakness Stakes, and Belmont Stakes in the same year - What is the length of the Kentucky Derby race?
Answer: 1.25 miles (or 2 kilometers) - What is the name of the famous horse race held in England that is similar to the Kentucky Derby?
Answer: The Epsom Derby - What is the traditional drink of the Kentucky Derby?
Answer: Mint Julep - What color are jockey silks?
Answer: Various colors, representing the horse owner’s racing colors - What is the name of the famous Australian horse race held on the first Tuesday in November?
Answer: Melbourne Cup - What is the second race in the American Triple Crown?
Answer: Preakness Stakes - What object do jockeys use to encourage horses to run faster?
Answer: Riding crop (or whip) - What famous horse race is held at Aintree Racecourse in England?
Answer: Grand National - How many different horses have won the Triple Crown?
Answer: 13 - What is the most recent horse to win the Triple Crown?
Answer: Justify (in 2018) - In what city is the Preakness Stakes horse race held?
Answer: Baltimore, Maryland - What is the oldest of the three Triple Crown races?
Answer: Belmont Stakes - What is the name of the famous race held in Kentucky the day before the Kentucky Derby?
Answer: Kentucky Oaks - What type of horse race includes obstacles for the horses to jump over?
Answer: Steeplechase - What is the nickname of the Belmont Stakes?
Answer: “The Test of the Champion” - Who was the first female jockey to ride in the Kentucky Derby?
Answer: Diane Crump - What year was the first Kentucky Derby held?
Answer: 1875 - What is the name for the starting gate used in horse racing?
Answer: Starting gate (or starting stalls) - Which horse holds the record for the fastest Kentucky Derby time?
Answer: Secretariat - What color ribbon is given to the winning horse at the Kentucky Derby?
Answer: Garland of roses (not actually a ribbon) - What is the famous horse race held in Paris, France?
Answer: Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe - What do you call a racehorse that has never won a race?
Answer: Maiden - What famous horse won the Triple Crown in 1973 and set records that still stand today?
Answer: Secretariat - What is the minimum weight a jockey must be to race in the Kentucky Derby?
Answer: 126 pounds (including equipment) - What is the name of the famous horse racing event held in Dubai?
Answer: Dubai World Cup - What is the trophy for the Kentucky Derby called?
Answer: Kentucky Derby Trophy - What is the approximate length of the Belmont Stakes race?
Answer: 1.5 miles - What was the name of the first horse to win the Triple Crown?
Answer: Sir Barton - In what year did Secretariat win the Triple Crown?
Answer: 1973 - What is the name of the horse race that makes up part of the British Triple Crown?
Answer: 2000 Guineas, Epsom Derby, and St. Leger Stakes - What do you call the practice sessions for racehorses in the morning?
Answer: Workouts - What horse has won the most Kentucky Derby races?
Answer: No horse has won more than once (only jockeys and trainers have won multiple times) - Which jockey has won the most Kentucky Derby races?
Answer: Eddie Arcaro and Bill Hartack (5 wins each) - What term describes when a horse is running at its top speed?
Answer: Flat out (or at full stretch) - What is the name of the score card that shows information about horses in a race?
Answer: Racing form - What is the world’s richest horse race?
Answer: The Saudi Cup - What famous race is known as “The Race That Stops a Nation”?
Answer: Melbourne Cup - What is the term for when a horse is descended from a distinguished family?
Answer: Well-bred - What was unusual about the 2019 Kentucky Derby result?
Answer: The winner (Maximum Security) was disqualified for interference - Who was the oldest jockey to win the Kentucky Derby?
Answer: Bill Shoemaker (54 years old) - What type of racing surface is traditionally used at the Kentucky Derby?
Answer: Dirt - What prestigious horse race is run at Ascot in England?
Answer: The Gold Cup - How many Triple Crown winners were there in the 1970s?
Answer: Three (Secretariat, Seattle Slew, and Affirmed) - What famous racehorse had a heart nearly twice the size of an average horse’s heart?
Answer: Secretariat - Which female horse won the Kentucky Derby in 1988?
Answer: Winning Colors - What is the term for the area where horses are paraded before a race?
Answer: Paddock - What famous racehorse’s heart was so large that it was estimated to weigh around 22 pounds?
Answer: Secretariat