LOUISVILLE, Ky. — The Kentucky Derby Museum is a full-service museum located on the grounds of the Churchill Downs racetrack in Louisville, Ky. The KDM has 20,000 thoroughbred racing artifacts housed within 46,000 square feet of exhibit, office and storage space. And everything in it is dedicated to preserving the history of the Kentucky Derby.

Inside the museum’s main entrance, which is adjacent to the track’s main entrance, there two floors of historical artifacts and educational exhibits along with a research library containing books, pictures, periodicals, manuscripts, video tapes and files documenting the complete history of Churchill Downs from 1875 up to the present. Physical hard line artifacts include clothing, saddles and bridles, racing tack, racing trophies and the like that once belonged to the trainers, jockeys and racehorse owners – even one item signed by a sitting U.S. president.

Also housed in the museum are precious metals such as gold and silver objects, mostly trophies; a silk purse from 1891 that once held the winner’s share from that race; many more antiques and memorabilia; and common collectibles such as Derby glasses, old racing programs, un-cashed winning tickets, and personal items that once belonged to some of the people associated with the race and the sport of horseracing. The items, mostly donated, came from horse people or were given to the museum by Hollywood figures and sports personalities. Many items came from ordinary people who became part of the celebration of America’s longest continually running sporting event, America’s Greatest Race.

Horse Racing Begins in Louisville

It was first in 1783 that a form of organized horse racing took place in Louisville. It took place right on Market Street, which is a downtown thoroughfare that promoters had blocked off. Later, in 1805, a race track was established on an island in the Ohio River that was adjacent to the city. In 1827, another track was developed at 16th and Main in the city. Then, in 1833 a racetrack complete with clubhouse was opened in the neighborhood of 7th and Magnolia streets.

Finally, in 1874, a grandson of William Clark of the famous Lewis and Clark Expedition established a major track under the name of the Louisville Jockey Club and Driving Park Association.

Clark’s primary goal had been to showcase the horse breeding industry in Kentucky. The name was later changed to Churchill Downs, apparently a reference to the brothers who owned the property upon which it was built.

First Kentucky Derby Race

It was on a day in May 1875, with Clark presiding as the Official Judge, that the track began its racing history with a schedule of four brand new stakes races. One of the races was named the Kentucky Derby after the Epsom Derby in England, which Clark had visited. The winning horse of that first Derby was named Aristides.

In 1894, there was a reorganization of the Louisville Jockey Club. Clark was demoted and William Schulte became the new president. The next year, the Jockey Club had a new grandstand constructed, and atop the building the trademark Twin Spires were erected.

However, by 1902, the racetrack as a business was a losing proposition. So, it was purchased by Col. Matt J. Winn and the new American Turf Organization. Winn, a businessman and promoter, became the next president.

“The Kentucky Derby is the most classic historic event of American turf stakes, and around it are the best traditions of the thoroughbred world,” a 1903 article from Louisville’s Courier Journal newspaper said. Another story in the paper that year told of several new buildings that were in construction at the track as Derby Day approached.

“(The clubhouse) is one of the handsomest structures of the kind in the country and is an ornament to the track. It will prove a very attractive feature with the society element, and a large number of clubhouse parties have been arranged.”

A Social Event

“Derby Day becomes more of a society event each year,” a May 1905 Courier-Journal article had said. “There will be box parties galore, and the grandstand will be filled with the usual crowd of beautifully gowned women.” More so, the article said, “It is always a charming sight to watch the clubhouse guests scattered over the veranda between the races and lining the fence in front of the club while the horses are running.”

“Upstairs on the roof, down on the lawn, on the verandas and in the dining-room were throngs of men and women, the bright colors of the hats and parasols contrasting most agreeably with the mass of black beyond – the myriads of men on the grandstand and hanging about the fences,” it said.

Derby Traditions

Under Churchill Downs President Matt J. Winn’s direction, many endearing Kentucky Derby traditions were established that soon became part of the Derby mystique – Mint Julep cocktails became the official Derby cocktail, with those in Millionaire’s Row getting silver Mint Julep cups; folk-collectibles such as racing programs and losing tickets from the Derby race; and drink glasses with new-each-year designs.

Other traditions from the first half of the 20th century are the singing of Stephen Foster’s My Old Kentucky Home before the race and the draping of the winning horse with a blanket sewn together of red roses.

A final example is the special tradition of awarding the owner of the winning horse a unique gold trophy. Beginning in 1925, every winning trophy has been made in the form of a 14-karat gold cup adorned by horseshoe-shaped handles. On top of the cup sits an 18-karat gold horse and jockey figure. All of that sits on a base made of jade, making the trophy is 22 inches tall.

Media Attention

One reason for the enduring popularity of the Kentucky Derby is the attention it has received in the print and broadcast media. In the early years, the Derby Day race card story was an annual favorite of local newspapers. And as the fame and purse money grew and the Derby began to draw horses from all over the country, other newspapers took an interest.

The rise in America of radio broadcasting also helped spread the reputation of the race. In 1925, Louisville station WHAS was first to broadcast the Derby live. Next was WGN in Chicago, which relayed the signal to its own audience. Later, NBC broadcast nationwide through its radio affiliates. In 1933, the Kentucky Derby aired live over international radio via the BBC in England.

In 1949, television entered the picture when WAVE-TV in Louisville broadcast the race live to the community. National viewing of a Kentucky Derby on live TV occurred in 1952 when Louisville’s CBS affiliate, WHAS-TV, organized a broadcast. Television further raised the Derby’s prestige by bringing it directly into households across America.

Hollywood and Sports Figures

Churchill Downs’ Col. Winn liked glamour to be part of the mystique of the Derby, and for that purpose he would invite journalist friends and popular figures to be read or read about and to be seen participating in revelry. Winn invited baseball great Babe Ruth in 1937. There were several photos published in the media of Ruth smiling along with his wife from the Millionaire’s Row section of the grandstands.

Many other famous people, movie stars, sports figures, musicians, U.S. presidents and even the United Kingdom’s Queen Elizabeth have attended Churchill Downs on Derby Day. Movie stars Lana Turner and Don Ameche received a lot of press attention when they attended the 1941 Derby. Bob Hope in 1950 and other stars from Col. Winn’s reign drew a lot of attention to the section of the clubhouse that has been named Millionaire’s Row. Several politicians, including American presidents, have been to a Derby. However, Richard Nixon in 1969, was the only sitting U.S. president to have attended.