Four Kentucky Derby starters are May foals

LOUISVILLE, K.y. – A victory in the Kentucky Derby would be an early birthday present for a few of this year’s starters.

All Northern Hemisphere-born foals officially turn a year older on Jan. 1, regardless of their actual date of birth. That means that while all of this year’s Derby entrants were foaled in 2016 and are officially considered 3-years-old, some are actually older than others. The youngest horses in this year’s field are Country House (foaled on May 8), Maximum Security (May 14), Vekoma (May 22), and Code of Honor (May 23). All but Vekoma are homebreds, and all started as juveniles, with the first runner among them Code of Honor last Aug. 18.

A May foal winning the Derby is unusual but not unprecedented. Since 1970, horses to win the Derby before their actual third birthday are Cannonade (foaled May 12) in 1974, Spend A Buck (May 15) in 1985, Thunder Gulch (May 23) in 1995, and Mine That Bird (May 10) in 2009.

While foaling dates of some past Derby winners are unknown, the latest-born known foal to win the Derby was Exterminator (May 30) in 1918.