Race facts

Things fans of the Kentucky Derby need to know or might have forgotten:

Race date

The 146th Run For The Roses was postponed from May 2 to Sept. 5, the first time since 1945 horse racing’s marquee event was not run on the first Saturday in May. It remains to be seen if fans will be allowed. The race will occur during one of the city’s busiest entertainment periods, but won’t conflict with University of Louisville football just a few blocks away. The Cardinals face N.C. State in a scheduled Sept. 3 home game.

The Triple Crown

The race is the opening leg in the Triple Crown that includes the Preakness and Belmont Stakes, but that traditional order remains uncertain this season.

Race location

Louisville’s Churchill Downs remains the Kentucky Derby’s home. Some corresponding events leading up to the Derby — such as the popular Thunder Over Louisville air show — have moved to August in hopes of ginning up interest for the main event.

No fans?

Last year’s Derby and its contested finish drew 150,729 fans, so it’s understandable that Churchill Downs officials want to run the Derby with fans in the stands, hopefully wearing big, colorful hats and suits while sipping mint juleps. For now, spring races will initially be run spectator-free. Said trainer Chad Brown: “I would take the Derby with no fans before I would take it with no Derby.”

Bettors

Everyone who placed a Kentucky Derby future wager still has a live ticket, including those who bet on a horse that might not have qualified for the race but now has more opportunities. The 20-horse field is usually a bettor’s dream, and Ed DeRosa of BRISnet believes the pool of Derby entrants will be even deeper with the extra time for horses to develop.