Kentucky Derby: The Saga of Legendary Juleps and Colorful Silks

When Bill Corum addressed the 125th Kentucky Derby run the “Run for the Roses”, it was clear to many that the tradition was there to stay and today after 137 years of this inspiring heritage still moving forward firmly with its traditional practices ranking it as one of the most prestigious and celebratory two minutes of the sport, it sure is one of the kind. What began as an inspiration from the European thoroughbred racing evolved into a rich culture of its own and took form as truly the world’s “Greatest Two Minutes in Sport.” The much storied garland of red roses actually began with a garland made of white and pink roses gifted to Ben Brush, winner of the 1896 Kentucky Derby. In a span of 8 years from then, in 1904, the official flower of the sport was replaced with red roses and a garland came into place in 1932 as, a blanket of hand woven red roses was presented to the winner, Burgoo King. The Kentucky Derby Garland is a blanket of 400 roses sewn with green satin ribbons showcasing the logos of the Twin Spires and the Commonwealth at two ends and sporting a “crown” of roses in the centre of the blanket pointing upwards. This crown signifies the audacity and fortitude necessary in the players’ hearts to battle to the winner’s circle of the Kentucky Derby and the determination to win it. The Kentucky Derby trophy, initially designed to mark the celebration of the Golden Anniversary of the event in 1924, was a 14-carat gold cup decorated with an 18 carat horse shoe on either sides. The design underwent minor changes during the 125th running of the Derby. The direction of the horseshoe was set to pointing upwards as per the belief of a famous superstition associated with horse racing that suggested that luck would run out if the shoe pointed downward. For years together the mint julep has been the signature beverage for the Derby and its uniqueness has scored it a great fan following. Other than for the Derby season, when the julep is a craze during the Kentucky Oaks and the Kentucky Derby, the “Early Times Kentucky Mint Julep” adorns the shelves of the local retail for throughout the year. Served in the traditional silver cup frosted on the outside and embellished with mint leaves finds its way into the hands of all audience and they cheer to celebrate another running of the legendary races. More than a 100 thousand mint juleps are served every year during the Kentucky Oaks and the Derby. The tradition of silks came into practice due to the difficulty faced in recognizing the horses and their owners during the time of King Charles II. The jockeys were hence asked to wear the silks of their teams as a way of identifying the team they belonged to. Additionally, there are horse numbers on the saddle cloth, the race program that mentions what horses enter a starting gate and the race number, track announcement and the race telecast.