The recently completed Kentucky Derby is the most famous horse race in history. Run at Churchill Downs in Louisville since 1875, the derby has attracted huge crowds for the last three decades. The Kentucky Derby is a significant part of the cycle of Kentucky life. Well-known humorist and country philosopher Irvin S. Cobb, of Paducah, was asked to explain the derbyâs magic. âIf I could do that, Iâd have a larynx of spun silver and the tongue of an appointed angel,â he said. Added Cobb:ââUntil you go to Kentucky and with your own eyes behold the Derby, you ainât never been nowhere and you ainât never seen nothing!â