The 1955 Kentucky Derby was the 81st running of the

Kentucky Derby The Kentucky Derby is a horse race held annually in Louisville, Kentucky, United States, almost always on the first Saturday in May, capping the two-week-long Kentucky Derby Festival. The competition is a Grade I stakes race for three-year ...

. The race took place on May 7, 1955. The race carried a purse of $152,500 of which winner Swaps received $108,400, a then record.

Winner of the Kentucky Derby

Swaps was a California bred American thoroughbred racehorse. Swap's became the first "All-California" colt to win the Kentucky Derby. Known as the "California Comit", this not being the only nickname he had many other nicknames. His second most popular one was the "California Cripple." This name was given because of how many injuries he had and still ended up winning the Kentucky derby.

Trainer of Swaps'

Swap's was trained by Meshach (Mesh) Tenney. Tenney was born on November 16,1907 and worked with Swaps. Swaps then ended up winning the title of United States Horse of the Year in 1956 with the assistance of Mesh Tenney. Mesh Tenney was known for the night before the 1955 Kentucky Derby because he slept in Swap's stall.

Race Description

The 2-year-old champion (Nashua) and Swaps were some of the biggest competitors and "brought one of the biggest East-West showdowns in Derby history." (Courier journal) Swaps established a steady pace for the beginning of the race, Eddie Arcaro and Nashua started to stalk in the third and moved on the outside of Swaps. Swaps ended up speeding up and winning for the length. Swaps covered the last-quarter mile with the time of seconds.

Full results

* 1955 Kentucky Derby Charts

Payout Section

$2.00 wager returns $7.60 profit, therefore $5.60 profit. The win, place and show payoffs are based on a $2.00 bet.

Extra Information

* Winning Breeder: Rex C. Ellsworth; ( CA) * Track rating: Fast

References

1955 Events January * January 3 – José Ramón Guizado becomes president of Panama. * January 17 – , the first nuclear-powered submarine, puts to sea for the first time, from Groton, Connecticut. * January 18– 20 – Battle of Yijian ...

Derby Derby ( ) is a city and unitary authority area in Derbyshire, England. It lies on the banks of the River Derwent in the south of Derbyshire, which is in the East Midlands Region. It was traditionally the county town of Derbyshire. Derby gai ...

Kentucky Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virginia to ...

{{KentuckyDerby-stub