Run for the Roses

The Kentucky Derby, premier horse racing extravaganza, happens Saturday, May 4 at 6:50 p.m. To prepare you for this longest running sporting event in the U.S., here are a few fun facts to share with your “horsey” friends.

• The first Kentucky Derby was held on May 17, 1875. A three-year-old chestnut thoroughbred, Aristides, won the race. His jockey Oliver Lewis was 19 and never raced in the Derby again. Aristides’ trainer was Ansel Williams, a former slave.
• Meriwether Lewis Clark, Jr., the grandson of Lewis and Clark fame, went to the Epson Derby in England in 1872. When he got back to the U.S., he started a racing club called the Louisville Jockey Club and raised enough money to build a permanent racetrack in Louisville. The track was named Churchill Downs in 1883.
• The red rose became the race’s official flower in 1896, when the winner Ben Brush was given a garland made of white and pink roses. Thus, the name, “Run for the Roses”.
• Today, the rose garland has up to 400 red roses sewn on green satin and weight more than 40 pounds. In the center is a rose “crown” with a single rose symbolizing the heart and struggle needed to become a Kentucky Derby winner.
• The trophy is made of 14 karat gold and stands on a jade base.
• The fastest winner was Secretariat in 1973. He completed the race in 1:59:40.
• Of course, the main concern of most Kentucky Derby women is their hat choices. Preferred bonnets are wide-brimmed, “Southern Belle” style enhanced with flowers and ribbons. 
• The Kentucky Derby drink of choice—the Classic Mint Julep. Create this tasty treat by mixing the following ingredients in a julep cup: 2 parts bourbon, ½ part simple syrup and one mint sprig gently muddled (pressed and twisted lightly). Add crushed ice and garnish with a mint sprig. Enjoy sipping and cheering on your favorite horse as they “run for the roses”.