Kentucky Derby
Type of Holiday: Sporting
Date of Observation: First Saturday in May
Where Celebrated: Louisville, Kentucky
Symbols and Customs: Fancy Hats, Mint Julep, Red Roses
ORIGINS
One of the top sporting events in the United States, the horse race known as the Kentucky Derby has been held at Churchill Downs racetrack in Louisville, Kentucky, since 1875. It was originally modeled on England's Epsom Derby, and the stylish clothes and parties associated with the race represent a deliberate attempt to recreate the social atmosphere of the English derby. The Kentucky Derby is unquestionably the most important social event of the year in Louisville, as evidenced by the more than 10,000 parties held there during Derby week.
Kentucky has a long tradition of horse racing and horse breeding. With its relatively mild climate, rich vegetation, and bluegrass meadows, Kentucky offers the ideal environment for raising thoroughbred horses. The first horse races in the state were held in Lexington in 1787, and the first jockey club was organized ten years later. Colonel Meriwether Lewis Clark Jr. established Churchill Downs (named after the family that owned the land on which the track stands) as the home of the Louisville Jockey Club, and he served as the track's president from 1875 until 1894. He offered the Kentucky Derby as part of the Churchill Downs program, confining the race to three-year-old thoroughbreds carrying weight not in excess of 126 pounds.
On the day of the first Kentucky Derby, Colonel Clark gave a Derby breakfast for his friends-a custom that is still popular today. As soon as the race is over, the owner of the winning horse is invited to a private party given by the president of Churchill Downs, where he or she sips a MINT JULEP from a special sterling silver cup decorated with a wreath of roses (see RED ROSES ) and a replica of a thoroughbred horse's shoe, authentic in every detail. The cup later becomes part of the collection of cups on display at the Downs.
The race is usually run in slightly over two minutes, although in 1964, Northern Dancer was the first to win the Derby in two minutes flat. The great Secretariat, fondly known as Big Red, is still the only horse to run the Derby in less than two minutes-although only fractions of a second less. Ridden by jockey Ron Turcotte, Secretariat then went on to win the Triple Crown, which means that he also won the Belmont Stakes (run in June at Belmont Park, near New York City) and the Preakness (run in late May at the Pimlico Race Course near Baltimore). Only a horse that has won all three races in a single year, as Secretariat did in 1973, qualifies as a Triple Crown winner.
Although the race takes only a couple of minutes, the festivities surrounding it go on for the better part of a week and include parades, a steamboat race on the Ohio River, and countless dinner parties and balls.
Date of Observation: First Saturday in May
Where Celebrated: Louisville, Kentucky
Symbols and Customs: Fancy Hats, Mint Julep, Red Roses
ORIGINS
One of the top sporting events in the United States, the horse race known as the Kentucky Derby has been held at Churchill Downs racetrack in Louisville, Kentucky, since 1875. It was originally modeled on England's Epsom Derby, and the stylish clothes and parties associated with the race represent a deliberate attempt to recreate the social atmosphere of the English derby. The Kentucky Derby is unquestionably the most important social event of the year in Louisville, as evidenced by the more than 10,000 parties held there during Derby week.
Kentucky has a long tradition of horse racing and horse breeding. With its relatively mild climate, rich vegetation, and bluegrass meadows, Kentucky offers the ideal environment for raising thoroughbred horses. The first horse races in the state were held in Lexington in 1787, and the first jockey club was organized ten years later. Colonel Meriwether Lewis Clark Jr. established Churchill Downs (named after the family that owned the land on which the track stands) as the home of the Louisville Jockey Club, and he served as the track's president from 1875 until 1894. He offered the Kentucky Derby as part of the Churchill Downs program, confining the race to three-year-old thoroughbreds carrying weight not in excess of 126 pounds.
On the day of the first Kentucky Derby, Colonel Clark gave a Derby breakfast for his friends-a custom that is still popular today. As soon as the race is over, the owner of the winning horse is invited to a private party given by the president of Churchill Downs, where he or she sips a MINT JULEP from a special sterling silver cup decorated with a wreath of roses (see RED ROSES ) and a replica of a thoroughbred horse's shoe, authentic in every detail. The cup later becomes part of the collection of cups on display at the Downs.
The race is usually run in slightly over two minutes, although in 1964, Northern Dancer was the first to win the Derby in two minutes flat. The great Secretariat, fondly known as Big Red, is still the only horse to run the Derby in less than two minutes-although only fractions of a second less. Ridden by jockey Ron Turcotte, Secretariat then went on to win the Triple Crown, which means that he also won the Belmont Stakes (run in June at Belmont Park, near New York City) and the Preakness (run in late May at the Pimlico Race Course near Baltimore). Only a horse that has won all three races in a single year, as Secretariat did in 1973, qualifies as a Triple Crown winner.
Although the race takes only a couple of minutes, the festivities surrounding it go on for the better part of a week and include parades, a steamboat race on the Ohio River, and countless dinner parties and balls.
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