Make Kentucky Derby Day Special with these Five Winning Ideas
The Kentucky Derby - A Day for Hats and Horses!
Fun Facts about the Derby
Whether you watch it for the fantastic hats or the incredible horses, the Kentucky Derby has plenty of opportunity to see both. Known as the “greatest two minutes in sport,” the Kentucky Derby is the longest running sports event in the country.
- The blanket of roses draped over the winning horse is made up of 400 roses.
- Aristides was the first winner of the Kentucky Derby.
- Secretariat still holds the record for the fastest run race – 1 minutes 59.4 seconds
- Mint juleps are the drink of choice on Derby Day.
- The race is only for 3 year old Thoroughbreds.
Celebrate with this Winner's Circle of Ideas
Check out these five winning ideas below to celebrate the Derby at home! For more inspiration, take a look at our Pinterest board dedicated to the Kentucky Derby. Click here to see our curated ideas over on Pinterest.
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Kentucky Derby Themed Food
Make Derby inspired recipes to munch on while watching the race coverage. Some of my favorites are: Benedictine spread, mini hot brown bites, cheese straws, mint julep fruit salad, Derby pecans, and Kentucky Derby pie. You can find links to all these recipes on our Kentucky Derby Pinterest board.
You can also use the sugar cookie recipe from our post here and use horseshoe cookie cutters. If you don’t have one, then you can use the U from an alphabet cookie cutter set.
Horsing Around: Derby Fun and Games
Gather up some good old fashioned stick horses and let the kids have their own horse race. For added fun, give out trophies for win, place, and show. You can easily find inexpensive trophies online.
Another option is to plan a family movie night and watch a horse related movie like Secretariat or Seabiscuit. You can also find online plenty of fun downloads like Kentucky Derby Bingo, word searches, and coloring pages.
Kentucky Derby Themed Decorations
There are lots of options to bring Derby Day to your own home. The most obvious one is to decorate your home with red roses. Then take it to the next level by arranging them in silver julep cups or old trophies. Scatter around equestrian items like horseshoes, figurines, horse books, etc.
You can also buy Derby specific party supplies online, including the annual mint julep glass. The official Kentucky Derby website has a store along with more great party ideas. And Amazon has these fun Kentucky Derby paper plates and napkins along with these Derby party picks for appetizers. Luckily Kentucky Derby party supplies are super easy to find online.
Dress It Up with Fancy Hats and Bowties
Dress up in your own fanciful hat to watch the Derby. Don’t have a hat? Then you can make your own out of tissue paper! Check out this tutorial found on the official Kentucky Derby website. It’s an easy and also inexpensive way to take part in the hat wearing experience for the Derby. This is a great idea to do with the kids.
The guys can get in on the fashion fun for the Derby by wearing colorful bowties. Similar to the DIY hats, make your own bowties out of construction paper or cardstock.
Support Retired Racehorses
If you know me even just a tiny bit, you’ll know that I love horses! One of my horses, Benedict, is a retired racehorse who is descended from the Kentucky Derby winner Northern Dancer.
Benedict (pictured) only raced six times. Thousands of racehorses come off the tracks every year needing new homes. To learn more about rescuing and rehoming retired racehorses, visit the Retired Racehorse Project. Another great cause to support is Old Friends Thoroughbred Retirement Farm. They provide a great home to many famous former racehorses (including past Kentucky Derby winners).
And....You're Off to a Winning Derby Day!
With these inspiring ideas, you’ll be the odds on favorite to win on Derby Day with your friends and family. This event is one of my favorite days of the year. I have a decades long streak of watching the Derby. It’s a sure bet that I’ll be tuned in on the first Saturday in May!
Have a good day!
Kristin
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