It’s springtime in the Bluegrass. With the season’s glorious dogwood, redbud, pear tree and forsythia blossoms come new Thoroughbred foals, frolicking beside their dams in the warm sunshine, building their muscles to someday race on the track. And when they turn 3 years old, if they’re strong enough, fast enough and have the endurance to go a mile-and-a-quarter, these four-legged athletes may run in the “greatest two minutes in sports,” the Kentucky Derby.
The Run for the Roses celebrates its 150th anniversary this year, making it the longest-running sports event in the country. Of course, Churchill Downs is rockin’ the occasion big time, as is the Kentucky Derby Museum (KDM), located mere steps from the famous track’s entrance. Just look for the statue of Barbaro, winner of the 2006 Derby by six-and-a-half lengths, and you’re there.
Begun in 1985, the Kentucky Derby Museum is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit charitable organization that was ranked No. 5 in USA Today’s 2023 10 Best Readers’ Choice Attractions for Sports Fans. The 75,000-s.f. museum is a definite must-see if you haven’t already visited—and even if you have. Every year, the museum promises something new, and this year’s delivery is pure fun.
Since its inception in 2000, one of the more popular exhibits —especially among kids and race trackers—has been Riders Up!, where you mount one of two half-horses and ride a simulated race shown ahead of you on a video screen. You must keep your weight on your feet and stay out of the saddle, just like a jockey, or you’ll be disqualified.
Riders Up! has recently undergone a $1 million upgrade that implements the latest in visual and augmented reality and enthralls visitors with state-of-the-art technology that brings the thrill of horse racing into the 21st century.
Following are a few of the upgrades:
- Five Horse Frenzy – Instead of three horses, the exhibit will expand to five, one of which is wheelchair accessible.
- Amazing Tech – The new game delivers a virtual reality experience with five screens showing individual jockey viewpoints and one enormous screen with a full track view.
- Personalized Derby Rides – Players can choose their horse and jockey avatar, intentionally designed to encompass diversity and inclusion.
- Time-Travel Track – View the Derby through the decades. Riders can choose the era they want to race in, from 1875 to the present, while navigating randomized, unpredictable weather conditions, all guaranteeing an educational, thrilling ride.
“With Riders Up!, we’re not just entertaining; we’re bringing the Derby’s rich history to life,” says Chris Goodlett, KDM senior director of curatorial and educational affairs. “This exhibit drives home our mission of engaging everyone in the excitement of the Derby every single day.”
By now, meeting planners are no doubt chomping on the bit to find out if corporate types can team up, mount up, and race against each other in equine teambuilding, Derby style. Of course, they can indeed. The “new” racing game has a setting that allows the horses to race against each other, with one ultimate winner. Another setting, called Mock Racing, gives riders the feel of the movement of being on a horse, complete with the sounds of a cheering crowd.
Group activities include making your own Derby hat, creating a mint julep, decorating a horseshoe worn by a runner on the track, and learning how to place bets like a pro. Some of these can even be taken off-site to a convention.
The KDM can host galas, corporate events, meetings, cocktail receptions, and seminars for up to 2,000 guests, day and night. Museum exhibits as well as a customizable indoor space and all-weather outdoor space are available to attendees. Because the museum is the exclusive tour provider for Churchill Downs, a group can also add a private walking tour. Varied tours are available.
As for meeting and event space, the grand Oaks Garden Terrace/Derby Café and Bourbon Bar can accommodate 600 standing for a reception and 350 for a seated meal. The space recently re-opened after a $1 million upgrade. Night at the Museum, which includes all museum spaces, can host 2,000 for a reception and 1,000 for dinner.
A brand-new fashion exhibit, See and Be Seen: 150 Years of Derby Fashion, will open this July at KDM. In this display, you’ll follow the evolution of “Whatever shall we wear?” from the wife of the founder of the Derby, Lewis Clark, in 1875, through the flapper era with cloche hats, furs, slimmer dresses, and higher hemlines; the appearance of suits for women and Derby bowlers for men in the 1930s and 40s; to high fashion, trendy styles, expensive designer apparel and headwear, especially in the grandstand and clubhouse areas, in the 1950s and 60s. All have evolved into more creative, campy, intentionally outlandish and eye-catching styles, with hats and fascinators (hats affixed to a headband) a given to mark the day as a special occasion.
The more casual “infield spectator” is another animal entirely. Drop by and see for yourself.
Another new exhibit, this one on the five longest shots to win the Derby, opened in late March.
“We’re revolutionizing the way you experience the Derby,” says KDM President and CEO Patrick Armstrong. “Every day, we’re committed to sharing the exhilaration and history of Derby with all our guests.”
In addition to the newly remodeled Riders Up! exhibit, the KDM continues to offer interactive info about legendary Thoroughbreds, owners, trainers, jockeys, backside workers, traditions, and history that make the Kentucky Derby iconic. “America’s Horse,” Secretariat, shines in his own exhibit. And visitors can revel in watching the 360-degree, high-definition, 18-minute movie, “The Greatest Race,” a beautifully captured, all-encompassing peek into what it takes for a horse to earn a trip to the Derby. Your heart no doubt will soar during this breathtaking presentation, and your cheeks may be a bit moist from tears by the end. It’s simply remarkable.
To enjoy all the Kentucky Museum has to offer, find out more at derbymuseum.org or call (502) 637-1111 to plan your own visit. The museum is closed Thursday through Saturday of Derby weekend, Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Eve, and Christmas D
