Aristides won the inaugural Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs in 1875.
The race was first run on May 17, 1875, before a crowd estimated at about 10,000 people. Aristides was ridden by Oliver Lewis, the first jockey to win the Kentucky Derby, and trained by Ansel Williamson. He carried 100 pounds and completed the one-and-a-half-mile course in 2:37.75.
Aristides was bred by H. Price McGrath, who also owned him. The colt was named after Aristides the Just, an ancient Athenian statesman. His victory established the Kentucky Derby as an important American racing event, although the race later became associated with its modern one-and-a-quarter-mile distance.
A common mix-up is confusing Aristides with the winner of the first Preakness Stakes, Survivor, in 1873. The Kentucky Derby and Preakness are both American classics, but they began in different years and at different racecourses.