Mint Juleps, hats & celebs....sure! But what about the hidden gems that trivia games are made of? Well, here ya go:
1. 19 previous winning horses had a name starting with the letter S....yep Secretariat was the 1973 winner finishing in under 2 minutes.
2. Diane Crump was the first female jockey and although a woman has never won the Kentucky Derby; Shelley Riley came in second place in 1992.
3. Record low temperature for the race - which always takes place the first weekend of May - was 47 degrees in both 1953 & 57. Record high temp was set in 1959...94 degrees...and the derby has never been postponed or cancelled due to bad weather.
4. The rose blanket received annually by the winner is made up of some 400 roses and weighs around 40 pounds...now that will give ya a run for your roses!
5. After seeing England's Epsom Derby Lewis Clark Jr. was inspired to create the Kentucky Derby.
6. The race was first televised in 1952.
7 Only three fillies have won the Derby - Regret in 1915, Genuine Risk in 1980 & Winning Colors in 1988.
8. It is the longest running sporting event in the United States...dating back to May of 1875
9. The iconic spires of the grandstand were added after the fact as architect Joseph Dominic Baldez felt something extra was needed to make it stand out.
10. An average Kentucky Derby weekend will see 120,000 mint juleps served along with 5.5 tons of local food products.
The Old Forester Mint Julep Recipe
3 oz. Old Forester Mint Julep
0.75 oz. Simple Syrup
8-10 mint leaves
3 mint sprigs, far garnish
Pack mint julep cup with crushed ice. In a mixing glass, combine bourbon, syrup, and mint leaves. Lightly bruise mint leaves with a muddler, strain contents into julep cup. Garnish with 3 generous sprigs of mint. *Make sure to slap mint and insert straw into ice near mint.
The best times are enjoyed responsibly. Old Forester Straight Bourbon Whisky, 43-50% Alc./Vol., Brown-Forman Distillers Company.