[1] The winning time of 2:34.50 set a new Derby record for a distance of 1+1⁄2 miles (2.4 km), and remains the Derby record for the distance (which has not been run since 1894.)
[3] The Derby in 1889 was an exciting one for fans as thousands packed into Churchill Downs (then called the Louisville Jockey Club) to see the field of eight take on the reigning Two-Year-Old Champion Proctor Knott.
It was the largest crowd the track had seen since the Ten Broeck–Mollie McCarty match race in 1878, with an estimated 16,000 in attendance.
Ridden by Tennessee native Tom Kiley and sent off at 6-1 odds, Spokane got on the rail and closed in the stretch to the cheers of the crowd, running down the Proctor Knott to win by a nose in the final strides.
In a time before photo finish, it was left to the judges who awarded the win to Spokane after deliberation.