A Is for Aristides • Aristides Is the First Horse to Win the Kentucky Derby, on May 17, 1875
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Kentucky Derby ABC’s by Mrs. Nall’s students Creekside Elementary, Hardin Co. A is for Arcaro, Eddie Feb. 1916 – Nov. 1997 • In a span of 18 years, the rider known as “The Master” rode a record 17 winners in races of the Triple Crown and became the only jockey to ride two Triple Crown winners. • He won the Kentucky Derby 5 times, a record he shares with Bill Hartack. • Arcaro was known to be smart, aggressive, strong, and a real team player. A is for Aristides • Aristides is the first horse to win the Kentucky Derby, on May 17, 1875. • There were 15 horses running in the first Kentucky Derby. • 14 of the 15 jockeys were African- American. • The purse for the first Derby was $2,850. B is for Balloon Glow • It has more than 50,000 fans annually. • It is free if you are wearing a 2009 Pegasus pin. • The parade has been held at Broadway at 5 P.M for several years. • The glow is held the Friday one week before the Derby. B is for Belle of Louisville • The Belle of Louisville is a steam boat. • In 1963 Belle of Louisville won its first boat race. • There will be an Oaks Brunch Cruise on May 1st. B is for Blanket Of Roses • The garland of the roses is completely hand crafted. • The same pattern has been used for over 67 years, and was first molded in 1932. • It takes 80 hours of prep work to make it and 10 to 12 hours of stitching on Derby Eve night. • 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. • The Kroger Company has been the official florist of the Kentucky Derby since 1987. C is for Celebrities • Many celebrities visit the Kentucky Derby each year. • Two Presidents and a future President attended to the 109th Kentucky Derby. They were Jimmy Carter, Gerald R. Ford, and our President at present, George W. Bush. • In 1889, bank and train robbers, Frank and Jesse James attended the derby. C is for Churchill Downs ❖Churchill Downs has 47 barns and 1404 stalls. ❖The seating is 50,000 seats. ❖Colonel Meriwether Lewis Clark, Jr. started Churchill downs. D is for Delta Queen • The Delta Queen was one of the 2 steamboats that raced in the Great Steam Boat race. It raced against the Belle of Louisville. • The Delta Queen cruised the Mississippi River and on its regular schedule, with cruises ranging from New Orleans to Memphis, to St. Louis, to St. Paul, to Cincinnati, and many more. • Sadly, it is no longer in use. F is for Festival • The Festival events run two weeks before Derby day. • The festival carries Thunder Over Louisville, with the largest fireworks display in the world. • The Pegasus Parade, hot air balloon race, Governor's breakfast and an air show are other activities during the week. G is for the Great Balloon Race • The Great Balloon Race is held on Saturday, one week before the Derby. • The first Balloon Race was held in 1975. • The balloons lift off in aerial chase of the Hare balloon. It lands and lays out a large fabric X. • The hounds (the competing balloons) follow and throw a bag of Bluegrass seed at the target. H is for Hartack, Bill b. Dec. 9, 1932, Colver, PA • Hartack and Arcaro are the only jockeys ever to win five Kentucky Derbies. • The very intelligent Hartack was noted for his pride, honesty, and outspokenness • Hartack was a rider for the famous Calumet Farms through most of the 1950s. Hartack liked to take a horse to the lead and hold it throughout a race. • During his American riding career, Hartack rode 4,272 winners in 21,535 mounts, a percentage of 19.8. H is for Hats • Wearing festive hats is a long-time Derby tradition. • Many people loan their hats to the Derby Museum. • The hat is the one of the most popular sights of the Kentucky Derby. AND EVEN WILDER HATS! H is for Hot Air Balloon Race • In the Hot Air Balloon Race each pilot tried to drop a bag of bluegrass seeds over a vinyl X. • The great Balloon race was first held in 1973. • Seven balloons were launched from Iroquois Park. • The race is held the Saturday before the Derby. J is for Jockey • The shirt and hat worn by the jockey are called silks. • The colors on the clothing represents the horse farm of the horses owner. • The silks are limited to two colors on their shirt. • Each jockey weighs up to 110 pounds each including their gear. • The equipment that the horse must carry also includes the saddle,whip,boots,safety helmet,and silks. • Each colt must carry 126 pounds. • Each filly must carry 121 pounds K is for Kentucky Derby • The Kentucky Derby is the first leg of the Triple Crown. • It is always held on the first Saturday in May at Churchill Downs in Louisville.. • The race is limited to thoroughbred horses, three years of age. L is for Lukas, D. Wayne • One trainer, D. Wayne Lukas, has won the Triple Crown with two different horses, Thunder Gulch and Timber Country, winning the three races in 1995. While this is not declared a Triple Crown officially, it is unique as a trainer that he is the only trainer to win the three races in a calendar year with different horses. M is for Millionaire’s Row • "Millionaire's Row" refers to the expensive box seats that attract the rich, the famous, and the well- connected. Elegant women appear in designer outfits, often accessorized with large, elaborate hats. • Television reporters often interview the celebrities seen in Millionaire’s Row. M is for My Old Kentucky Home http://www.kentuckyderby.com/2004/derby_experience/the_song.html • Although there is no definitive history on the playing of the Stephen Foster ballad as a Derby Day tradition, it is believed to have had its origin in 1921 for the 47th running of the classic. • My Old Kentucky Home, the state song, is sung or played as the horses are led to the starting gates, immediately before the start of the Kentucky Derby. • Since 1936, with only a few exceptions, the song has been performed by the University of Louisville Marching Band. O is for the Oaks • The Kentucky Oaks is a race for three-year- old Thoroughbred fillies, run annually at Churchill Downs, the day (Friday) before the Derby. • The race currently covers 1⅛ miles at Churchill Downs; carry 121 pounds. • The Star Gazer Lily did not become the official flower of the Kentucky Oaks until 1991. • A total of 133 lilies are sewn into a white fabric backing which, like the green satin of the Derby garland, is embroidered in white- on-white with the Commonwealth's seal at one end and the twin spires and number of the running at the other. P is for Pegasus Parade • The parade is held on the Thursday before the Derby. • Its crowd is estimated at 250,000 – 300,000 people. • Viewers will see floats, bands, and equestrians. Run for the Roses • The race is known in the United States as "The Most Exciting Two Minutes in Sports" for its approximate duration, and is also called "The Run for the Roses" for the blanket of roses draped over the winner. • Pop vocalist Dan Fogelberg composed a song by that title for the 1980 running of the race. http://www.stlyrics.com/songs/d/danfogelberg98 5/runfortheroses45494.html S is for Silks • The silks are the shirt and hat worn by jockeys and are limited to two colors. • The colors on the silks represent the horse’s owner. • Most jockeys have nylon for silks. Real silk or satin is more expensive S is for Steamboat Race. •Each year, the Belle of Cincinnati or the Delta Queen recreated historic steamboat races during the Kentucky Derby Festival, when they raced with the Belle of Louisville on the Ohio in the Great Steamboat Race. The winner of the annual race received a trophy of golden antlers, which was mounted on the pilot house until the next race. •The race was held the Wednesday immediately before the Kentucky Derby race. T is for Thunder Over Louisville • Thunder Over Louisville is the opening event for the two-week derby festival. • The air show consists of aerobatic acts, military air craft, and a skydiving team. • The air show lasts all afternoon over the Ohio River, to a crowd of app. 750,000. • Thunder is the largest annual firework show in the United States. • The fireworks last app. 28 minutes and shot from the Second Street Bridge. T is for Triple Crown •The Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing (Triple Crown for short) consists of three races for three-year-old thoroughbred horses, which include the Kentucky Derby, the Preakness, and the Belmont. •Winning all three of these races is considered the greatest accomplishment of a thoroughbred racehorse, paying the owner of the winning horse a bonus of $5 million. •In recent years, the triple crown has become a very rare achievement, and in fact has not been accomplished at all since 1978, when Affirmed won all three. T is for Trophy • The trophy has been changed twice, for special anniversaries. • The cup and other decorations on the trophy are 14 karat gold. • The trophy is given to the winning owner in the winners circle. • The trophy is 22 inches tall and 56 ounces , has a horseshoe shaped handles, and includes a horse and rider.