Derby Day
The Kentucky Derby is the oldest
continuously held sporting event in the
US. It is held at Churchill Downs in
Louisville on the first Saturday in May.
Kentucky Map
• Where is Louisville located in Kentucky?
Churchill Downs Racetrack
Find Churchill Downs on
the Louisville city map.
History of Horse Racing
Detail of ancient Greek vase
• Horse racing is one of our oldest sports,
having its origins among the prehistoric
nomadic tribesmen of central Asia who first
domesticated the horse around 4500 BC.
Horse racing was an event in the ancient
Greek Olympics by 638 BC.
• In the 12th century English knights returned from
the Crusades with swift Arab horses. Over the
next 400 years Arab stallions (males) were
imported and bred to English mares (females) to
produce horses that combined speed and
endurance.
In the 1700s horse
racing became a
professional sport in
England. With the
increase of
racetracks being built
the need for rules and
standards became
necessary. In 1750
the Jockey Club was
formed to write the
rules of racing.
Members of the Jockey Club had to trace the
pedigree or complete family history of every race
horse in England. In 1793, this research was
published in a book. By the early 1800s the only
horses that could be called “Thoroughbreds” and
allowed to race had to descend from horses
listed in the book. British settlers brought horses
and horse racing to America.
Horses in Art
Horse sketch by
Leonardo da Vinci,
1452-1519
Leonardo was a
Renaissance artist
who filled many books
with sketches. He
made lots of notes in a
secret code that he
wrote backwards.
Edgar Degas
• Horses and racing have always been popular
subjects for artists. The subject of art is what
you can recognize or name.
• One artist famous for his painting of horses is
Edgar Degas. He was born in France in 1834
and died in 1917. He was a French
Impressionist artist who liked to paint and draw
modern everyday life. His favorite media (art
materials) was oil paint and pastel chalk.
Edgar Degas, Impressionist Artist
• Degas, Edgar
Race Horses
1885-1888
Pastel on panel
11 7/8 x 16 in.
Philadelphia
Museum of Art
• Degas, Edgar
Jockeys Before the Race
1869-72
Oil, essence, with
touches of pastel on
paper
42 1/8 x 28 3/4 in. (107 x
73 cm)
Barber Institute of Fine
Arts, University of
Birmingham
•
Degas, Edgar
Le Defile
Horses Before the
Stands
c. 1866-68
Essence on paper
mounted on canvas
18 1/8 x 24 in (46 x
61 cm)
Musee d'Orsay, Paris
In the summer of 2000, brightly colored horses decorated
by artists were located throughout Lexington, Ky.
This public art project was sponsored by the Lexington Arts
and Cultural Council and was called “Horse Mania”.
The Kentucky Derby has many traditions and
symbols. One of these traditions is the
singing of “My Old Kentucky Home, Good
Night” by Stephen Foster. This song is the
official song for the Commonwealth of
Kentucky.
Stephen Foster (1826-1864) was one of
America’s best-loved composers (or
songwriters). He wrote over 200 songs
including “Swanee River”, “Oh, Susanna” and
“Camptown Races”.
The house “My Old Kentucky Home, Good Night” is
connected to is Federal Hill, also known as My Old
Kentucky Home. It is located in Bardstown, Ky and
was built in 1818. It was the home of Judge John
Rowan whose Pittsburg cousin, Stephen Foster, visited
in 1852 and was inspired to write the song.
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“My Old Kentucky Home” words and music by Stephen Foster
The sun shines bright on my old Kentucky home
'Tis summer, the people are gay
The corn top's ripe and the meadow's in bloom
While the birds make music all the day
The young folks roll on the little cabin floor
All merry, all happy and bright
By 'n by hard times come a-knocking at the door
Then my old Kentucky home, good night.
Chorus:
Weep no more my lady,
oh weep no more today.
We will sing one song for the old Kentucky home,
for the old Kentucky home far away.
They hunt no more for the 'possum and the coon,
On meadow, the hill and the shore,
They sing no more by the glimmer of the moon,
On the bench by that old cabin door.
The day goes by like a shadow o'er the heart,
With sorrow where all was delight.
The time has come when the people have to part,
Then my old Kentucky home, good night.
The head must bow and the back will have to bend,
Wherever the poor folks may go
A few more days and the trouble will end,
In the field where sugar-canes may grow.
A few more days till we totter on the road,
Then my old Kentucky home, good night.
More Kentucky Derby Traditions
DERBY-PIE®
• DERBY-PIE® was born nearly a half century ago as the
specialty pastry of the Melrose Inn, at Prospect,
Kentucky. Once developed, a proper name had to be
given. Because each family member had a favorite, the
name DERBY-PIE® was actually pulled from a hat.
• And what a winner! By 1968 DERBY-PIE® had become
so successful that the name was registered with the U.S.
Patent Office and the Commonwealth of Kentucky (that's
the reason for the ®!). Since then it has been baked and
distributed solely by Kern's Kitchen, a small family
operation.
DERBY-PIE® is a registered trademark of Kern's
Kitchen, Inc..
Chocolate Nut Pie Recipe
Kerns Kitchens has registered Derby Pie and is the only company that can make and
sell pies called Derby Pies. We will look at a similar recipe for a chocolate nut
pie.
Chocolate Nut Pie
½ cup (1 stick) margarine, melted
1 cup sugar
½ cup flour
2 eggs, slightly beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup chopped walnuts
1 cup chocolate chips
2 unbaked 9” pie shells
Pre-heat oven to 350*
Melt margarine and cool. Mix sugar and flour together to eliminate lumps in flour
then combine in large bowl with melted margarine. Beat eggs in small bowl with
fork and add to bowl. Stir in vanilla, nuts and chocolate chips. (1 cup of Rice
Crispies may be substituted for nuts.) Pour into pie shells and bake in pre-heated
oven for 30 minutes. Cool before cutting. Yield: 2 pies
Following sequence
Put the following directions in the correct order. (Number 1,2,3,4)
______Beat eggs____Melt margarine____Pre-heat oven____Pour into pie shell
If one pie will serve 8 people how many pies would you need to bake for a party of
48?
The Kentucky Derby was established by Meriwether
Lewis Clark, Jr. who visited England and studied how
racetracks were built. He returned to Louisville,
Kentucky and built a racetrack he named Churchill
Downs (the track was built on a farm owned by a family
named Churchill). On May 17, 1875, the first Kentucky
Derby was held.
Aristides, winner of
the first Kentucky
Derby
African American Isaac Murphy is
considered one of the greatest
race riders in American history.
(1860-1896)
The first
woman to ride
in the Derby
was Diane
Crump in 1970.
The jockey who
rode Aristides
was AfricanAmerican Oliver
Lewis.
Jockey Apparel
• Silks are the shirts and caps jockeys wear
during a horse race. They are called silks
because they used to be made out of silk.
However, now we use nylon, a lighter,
less-expensive and easier-to-clean fabric.
Silks are like a uniform—they identify the
owner of the Thoroughbred race horse.
• Owners select the colors and shapes that make
up the design of their silks. The Jockey Club
must approve and register the silks to make sure
no other owner has that combination. At one
time, strict rules applied to which shapes could
be used. In recent times, many non-traditional,
but tasteful designs have appeared.
Today the Kentucky Derby is the most famous Thoroughbred
horse race in the world and is celebrated with a two week
festival in Louisville complete with balloon races and
parades. More than 100,000 fans attend the race and millions
watch on TV all over the world. The three year old horses run
the 1¼ mile track in a little over 2 minutes. This race is also
called the “Run for the Roses” because the fastest horse and
jockey is honored in the winner’s circle with a blanket of red
roses.
Kentucky Derby MuseumWinner’s Circle Exhibit
Louisville, KY
Smarty Jones
The original Rose Garland was
freeze-dried and is stored in a
case behind display. It was
donated by the Chapmans,
owner of Smarty Jones.
Why Study the Kentucky Derby?
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We encourage you to discuss the following background information with your students.
Why is the Kentucky Derby important to our students?
The Kentucky Derby is an important historical event. Thoroughbred racing in America dates to
the early colonial period. The Derby is the oldest continuously run sporting event in the United
States.
The Kentucky Derby is an important cultural event. At least 75,000 out-of-town visitors attend the
Kentucky Derby each year, with a total crowd of about 150,000. Tens of millions of people all
around the world watch the Kentucky Derby on television. One and a half million people
participate in the Derby Festival events.
The Kentucky Derby is an important economic event. Overall, the Thoroughbred industry in
Kentucky is valued at over $1.2 billion, generating over 55,000 jobs. The economic impact from
the Derby/Oaks weekend for the metropolitan area is $218 million
The Kentucky Derby is an important athletic event. Understanding the roles of the Thoroughbred
and the jockey as an athlete, as well as the scientific basis for their performance, helps provide
insights into human training, nutrition and performance.
Education Department
Revised SWF/2004
What is the Kentucky Derby?
The Kentucky Derby is a Grade I stakes race for threeyear-old Thoroughbred colts and fillies, held on the first
Saturday in May at Churchill Downs in Louisville. It has
been run every year since its first running on May 17,
1875. The Kentucky Derby was modeled after the
Epsom Derby (pronounced ‘darby”), a prominent race in
England. Meriwether Lewis Clark, Jr., grandson of the
famous explorer William Clark, headed the group that
built the Louisville Jockey Club and Driving Association
and began the Derby. The name Churchill Downs was
not used until 1883. In 1895 the construction of a new
grandstand brought what would become Churchill
Downs’ most famous landmark, the Twin Spires.
Originally a mile and a half race, the Kentucky Derby
was shortened to one mile and a quarter in 1896.
The Kentucky Derby Museum
In 1985, the Kentucky Derby Museum, a private, non-profit
educational institution, opened to expand the awareness,
appreciation and the understanding of the Kentucky Derby and
Thoroughbred racing. In Spring 2000, the Museum reopened
after a major renovation and expansion project. The Derby
Museum is open every day, except for Oaks and Derby Day,
Thanksgiving and Christmas.
Kentucky Derby Museum
The Education Department welcomes any opportunity to
assist teachers and students. For additional information
about the science, history, culture or economic impact of
the Kentucky Derby and Thoroughbred racing, visit our
website at www.derbymuseum.org or through the
following listed below:
Sandy Flaksman
Curator of Education
(502) 992-5911
sflaksman@derbymuseum.org
www.derbymuseum.org/derbyedu
This Kentucky Derby Power Point was presented at the 2005 Kentucky Teaching
and Learning Conference, Louisville, KY by Debbie Hoodenpyle and Janet
Wyatt. It is intended to be used in Kentucky classrooms.
Material was taken from the following sources.
www.derbymuseum.org
www.kentuckyderby.com
www.kernskitchen.net
www.kentuckyliving.com
Debbie Hoodenpyle
Janet Wyatt
Debbie.hoodenpyle@hopkins.kyschools.us
janet.wyatt@hopkins.kyschools.us
West Hopkins School
2695 Rabbit Ridge Road
Nebo, KY 42441
(270) 825-6130