The First Saturday in May
When the Kentucky Derby is run on the first Saturday in May, few people will stop to wonder just how this two-minute horse race evolved to be a world-renowned event. The founder of the track and Derby was Meriwether Lewis Clark, Jr., grandson of the great explorer William Clark of Lewis & Clark fame. Having toured Europe and studied the great horse races, Clark was impressed by the Epsom Derby in England and the Grand Prix de Paris, sponsored by the French Jockey Club. He organized the Louisville Jockey Club and built a European-style horse racecourse on the farm of his uncles, John and Henry Churchill.
Churchill Downs, as it became named, hosts many horse races every year, as well as many exciting nonequine events, yet nothing comes close to the excitement, magic, and allure of the Kentucky Derby.
For the first 27 years of operation, Churchill Downs never made a profit. In 1902, a marketing genius named Colonel Martin J. “Matt” Winn (June 30, 1861 – October 6, 1949), a tailor by trade, was drafted by local businessmen to take the helm of the Downs and have it turn a profit. It did so the next year and every year thereafter. Winn’s ultimate goal was to make the Kentucky Derby a memorable, unique, and must-see event. Until the day he died in 1949, Winn was relentless in his marketing and promotion, which paid off then and still does today.
Kentucky Derby Traditions
Today, the public still enjoys many Derby traditions, including sipping mint juleps (recipe below) and enjoying “hot browns,” wearing fancy hats, and eating slices of Derby-Pie as they watch the race. The “Run For The Roses” continues to be a uniquely American tradition that is seen by millions of people worldwide.
Classic Mint Julep
What are your Kentucky Derby traditions? Tell us in the comments below…
