Kentucky Derby-5/1
by Cindi Sutter, Founder & Editor Spirited Table® - All Content provided by Kentucky Derby !
Our Spirited Table presents you with this years’ Kentucky Derby Cocktails, Recipes and More!
Great tips for your Kentucky Derby party found at Kentucky Derby, A Fanatics Experience.
Want to learn the inside scoop on the Derby, and need some expert tips? Click Expert Tips.
How about some favorite Derby Traditions?
Garland of Roses, now synonymous with the Kentucky Derby, is the source of the nickname "Run for the Roses®" and has a history almost as long as the Derby itself.
The Twin Spires Kentucky Icons. Constructed in 1895, the Twin Spires were the creation of a 24-year-old draftsman, Joseph Dominic Baldez, who was asked to draw the blueprints for Churchill Downs' new grandstand.
Originally the plans did not include the Twin Spires atop Churchill Downs’ roofline, but as the young Baldez continued work on his design, he felt the structure needed something to give it a striking appearance.
My Old Kentucky Home In the world of sports, there is not a more moving moment than when the horses step onto the track for the Kentucky Derby post parade and the band strikes up "My Old Kentucky Home" and 160,000+ people sing along.
Kentucky Oaks Ladies first. The first running of the Kentucky Oaks was on May 19, 1875 when Churchill Downs was known as the Louisville Jockey Club. The race was founded by Meriwether Lewis Clark, Jr. along with the Kentucky Derby.
Mint Julep Cool as Kentucky. Fresh as Spring. The Mint Julep has been the traditional beverage of Churchill Downs and the Kentucky Derby for nearly a century.
Each year, almost 120,000 Mint Juleps are served over the two-day period of Kentucky Oaks and Kentucky Derby weekend at Churchill Downs Racetrack. That’s a feat that requires more than 10,000 bottles of Old Forester Mint Julep Ready-to-Serve Cocktail, 1,000 pounds of freshly harvested mint and 60,000 pounds of ice.
Hats Part southern. Part spectacle. What sets the Kentucky Derby and Kentucky Oaks apart from other sports and entertainment events? It's the hats! Part Southern tradition, part spectacle, the Kentucky Derby hat parade is much of what makes "The Greatest Two Minutes in Sports" one of the greatest people-watching events in the world!
Celebrities Southern ambitions. Throughout the years of the Kentucky Derby, the race has had a special appeal to the celebrity set. The rich and famous that mingle among the Derby Day crowd add a unique dimension to the spectacle of the "Run for the Roses."
Trophy & Winners Circle Since the 50th running of the Kentucky Derby in 1924, Churchill Downs has annually presented a gold trophy to the winning owner of the famed "Run for the Roses®."
History is unclear if a trophy was presented in 1875 to the winner of the first Kentucky Derby, and trophy presentations were sporadically made in following years. Finally, in 1924, legendary Churchill Downs President Matt Winn commissioned that a standard design be developed for the "Golden Anniversary" of the Derby.
