Winning Colors

racehorse

Written by

The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Last updated

July 16, 2026

Quick Summary

Winning Colors was a notable American Thoroughbred racehorse, foaled in 1988. She is distinguished as one of only three fillies to have won the prestigious Kentucky Derby in its history, achieving this victory in 1988. While she did not win the Triple Crown, her win in the Kentucky Derby marked a significant achievement for a female horse in a sport often dominated by colts. Winning Colors was trained by D. Wayne Lukas and ridden by Gary Stevens during her Derby win.1

Summary created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.

2 Britannica Sources

Ask Britannica AI about this topic

Britannica doesn't have a full article on this topic, so we've curated a list of our relevant coverage.

Kentucky Derby
Records
…1915; Genuine Risk (1980) and Winning Colors (1988) are the only other fillies to have won.
Read More
…1915; Genuine Risk (1980) and Winning Colors (1988) are the only other fillies to have won.
Read More

Gary Stevens
Two years later he rode Winning Colors to victory at the Kentucky Derby. In 1993 Stevens became the youngest jockey to win $100 million in career prize money. Riding Thunder Gultch, he won both the Kentucky Derby and the Belmont Stakes in 1995. Two years later, aboard Silver Charm, he…
Read More
Two years later he rode Winning Colors to victory at the Kentucky Derby. In 1993 Stevens became the youngest jockey to win $100 million in career prize money. Riding Thunder Gultch, he won both the Kentucky Derby and the Belmont Stakes in 1995. Two years later, aboard Silver Charm, he…
Read More