The Kentucky Derby is one of the most popular pageantries for equine, as large horses race for their chance at first place.
The first Kentucky Derby was in 1875, with a victory from Oliver Lewis (jockey) and H.P. McGrath at the Louisville Jockey Club with about 10,000 spectators. 14 of the 15 jockeys in the race were African Americans.
Meriwether Lewis Clark, the founder of the Louisville Jockey Club, began the Kentucky Derby. Construction began in 1874 on the land of Clark’s relatives, John and Henry Churchill. The Derby is now annually run on the last Saturday of May at Churchill Downs and is the longest tradition of thoroughbred racing in the United States. The Kentucky Derby is the beginning stage for those determined to win the Triple Crown. Jockeys then move to the Preakness Stakes and the Belmont Stakes. As of now, there are only 13 Triple Crown winners, with the last winner being Justify in 2018.
The Kentucky Derby holds many traditions from throughout time. The hats, architecture, beverages, and betting are what make the Kentucky Derby. To this day, women still wear fashionable hats with their dresses, a continued tradition since the late 1800s. In the late 1800s and early 1900s, hats represented high societal status. Women also worse tight corsets with long dresses and skirts that would drag on the floor. Over the next decade, fashionable hats and corsets began to lose its style, but women continued to wear their extravagant hats for the tradition of the Derby. You can also find spectators sipping on Mint Juleps throughout the weekend, a beverage that has been a tradition at the Derby for nearly a century now. The beverage consists of Kentucky Bourbon, simple syrup, and mint leaves, with over 125,000 made over the two days.
In 1896, winners began to receive floral arrangements of white and pink flowers, but this tradition soon left after 1906. Winners were then given a garland of red roses, representing the saying “Run for the Roses.” The garland is full of 400 red roses, sewn onto green satin with one side sealed with Commonwealth and the other side sealed with the Twin Spires. The crown, a single rose sticking out the center of the arrangement, symbolizes the heart and struggle it takes to win each Derby race. Winners also did not receive trophies until 1924, but it is now a tradition to hand them a large trophy along with their floral arrangement, draped over both the horse and the jockey.
Did You Know?
There is a Style Guide for the Kentucky Derby! It shares Trends: Hats First! Then Shoe Trends. Stilettos are not recommended for grass.
This year marks the 151st annual Kentucky Derby, where spectators all around will cheer, bet, and dress for the races. The Kentucky Derby is May 2 and May 3, 2025.
Derby Day parties are now becoming a tradition in America, where family and friends gather in their dramatic outfits, betting on horses in the comfort of their home. Happy Derby Day, and let the cheering begin
