The Kentucky State Fair Horse Show began the same year as the Kentucky State Fair in 1902 and has proven to be one of the most enduring elements of the fair. Although the state fair was cancelled for two consecutive years during World War II (1942 and 1943), the horse show managed to miss only one (1942). The horse show was staged at Churchill Downs to benefit injured soldiers in 1943.

The Kentucky State Fair Horse Show drew many regional patrons to the fair in those early years, but in 1914 it began to draw attention from afar. Due to the efforts of John Castleman, Louisville horseman and co-founder of the American Saddlebred Horse Association, the Commission of Agriculture Saddle Horse Stake at the state fair was raised to $3,000, becoming the richest purse in the nation. Just three years later, another milestone occurred when successful fundraising enabled Governor Augustus O. Stanley and Commissioner of Agriculture Mat S. Cohen to expand the purse to $10,000 and re-name the event the Five-Gaited World's Grand Championship. At the 1917 Kentucky State Fair, Easter Cloud became the first horse to be designated world champion.

World's Grand Champion designations were added to the Three-Gaited and Fine Harness divisions in 1936, but the event was not consistently promoted as the Kentucky State Fair World's Championship Horse Show until 1973. The additional world titles, combined with an ever-growing premium pot, have solidified the international prominence of the show. Combined premiums reached $50,000 in 1952 and $100,000 in 1967. The total purse doubled once again in 1978, then steadily grew to $1 million in cash and silver in 1993.

The 100th World's Championship Horse Show, the "Centennial of Champions," was commemorated with record-breaking prize money in the Five-Gaited World's Grand Championship, as an additional $100,000 was awarded. This richest and most prestigious event for the American Saddlebred breed now attracts more than 2,000 horses from around the world.

Previous Winners
Five-Gaited Stake
Three-Gaited Stake
Fine Harness Stake

Who Has Won Most Often?

Five-Gaited
Tied at six each:
CH Wing Commander 1948-1953
CH My-My 1963-1968

Three-Gaited
Tied at five each:
CH Blue Meadow Princess 1950-1954
CH Sultan's Starina 1983-1987

Fine Harness
Six-time winner:

CH Callaway's Copyright 2001-2006

Tied at five each:
Meadow Vanity 1938, 1939, 1941, 1943, 1944
CH Colonel Boyle 1960-1964
Famous at four:
CH The Lemon Drop Kid 1956-1959