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Kentucky Derby - Run for the Roses
The roses were first established as part of the Derby celebration when they were presented to all the ladies attending a fashionable Louisville Derby party. The roses were such a sensation, that the president of Churchill Downs, Col. Lewis Clark, adopted the rose as the race's official flower. The rose garland now synonymous with the Kentucky Derby first appeared in the 1896 when the winner, Ben Brush, received a floral arrangement of white and pink roses.
In 1904 the red rose became the official flower of the Kentucky Derby. The tradition was strengthened when, in 1925, New York sports columnist Bill Corum, later the president of Churchill Downs, dubbed the Kentucky Derby the "Run for the Roses". The garland as it exists today was first introduced in 1932 for the 58th running won by Burgoo King.
Each year, a garland of 554 red roses is sewn into a green satin backing with the seal of the Commonwealth on one end and the twin spires and number of the running on the other. Each garland is also adorned with a "Crown" of roses, green fern and ribbon. The "Crown", a single rose pointing upward in the center of the garland, symbolizes the struggle and heart necessary to reach the winners' circle.
Each year the Governor and other dignitaries present the winning jockey with a bouquet of 60 long stemmed roses wrapped in ten yards of ribbon.
For several years, owners of the Derby winner also received a silk replica of the garland, but since Grindstone's 1996 victory, the actual garland has made the trip to Danville, Kentucky to be freeze-dried. Some owners have even gone as far as to have a flower dipped in silver. A silver dipped flower from the garland of Gato del Sol, the 1982 winner, is on display in the Kentucky Derby Museum.
The Kroger Company has been the official florist of the Kentucky Derby since 1987. After taking over the duties from the Kingsley Walker florist, Kroger began constructing the prestigious garland in one of its local stores for the public to view on Derby Eve.
The preservation of the garland and crowds of spectators watching its construction are a testament to the prestige and mystique of the Garland of Roses.
Kentucky Derby - Trophy
The present-day Kentucky Derby trophy was designed by George Lewis Graff for Lemon & Son Jewelers of Louisville, with the initial presentation made to Black Gold's owner, Mrs. Rosa M. Hoots, on May 17, 1924. The cup, with horse and rider atop, is 22 inches tall and weighs 56 ounces, excluding its marble base. The horse and rider, the horseshoe-shaped handles, and other decorations are 18-karat gold; the body of the cup is 14-karat gold. The value, listed 60 years ago at $5,000, has been inflated to as high as $60,000 over the years. To mark the milestone 125th Kentucky Derby to be run on May 1, 1999, the winner's trophy will be enhanced by a spectacular array of diamonds, emeralds and rubies. Only twice before has the trophy been changed to honor notable anniversaries: the 75th Derby in 1949 and the 100th Derby in 1974.
More importantly, to the superstitious, the prestigious trophy will also incorporate a design modification based on a long-standing racing superstition. Churchill Downs officials have decided to defer to racing lore and change the direction of the decorative horseshoe displayed on the body of the 14-karat gold trophy. The horseshoe has pointed downward on each of the past 74 Kentucky Derby trophies, but the trophy for Derby 125 will carry a horseshoe that is turned 180 degrees so that its ends point up. Racing superstition decrees that if the horseshoe is turned down all the luck will run out.
Derby history is unclear if a trophy was presented to owner Hal Price McGrath after his Aristides won the first Kentucky Derby in 1875. Trophy presentations were made sporadically in subsequent Derbys until the official Kentucky Derby winner's trophy was presented at the race's 50th renewal in 1924.
Kentucky Derby Contest Standings
| Player | Fantasy Money |
Rank |
|---|---|---|
| JPaquette | 2600 | 1 |
| lsandoval | 2600 | 2 |
| steveelke | 2600 | 3 |
| deepakh | 2600 | 4 |
| smangar | 2600 | 5 |
| psanchez | 2600 | 6 |
| dremerick | 2600 | 7 |
| luckyduckling65 | 2600 | 8 |
| Gerson | 2600 | 9 |
| Unlisted | 2600 | 10 |
| Click Here to See Top 100 | ||
