Also see our NEW EXHIBITS.
The Kentucky Derby Museum, one of Kentucky’s premier attractions, captures the pride, traditions, and excitement of the “greatest two minutes in sports”.
The Museum is dedicated to expanding public awareness, appreciation and understanding of the Kentucky Derby and Thoroughbred racing.
Located at Gate 1 of Churchill Downs, the Museum offers two floors of exciting exhibits giving visitors an in-depth look into Thoroughbred racing and the Kentucky Derby – the first jewel in racing’s Triple Crown.
The Museum’s first exhibit area, The Derby Experience, surrounds visitors with the color and pageantry of the activities that encompass the Derby, Derby week and the Kentucky Oaks. Dream of your ultimate Derby chapeaux when visiting our annual hat contest exhibit which features handmade creations ranging up to more than $800 dollars apiece. The newest edition to the experience area is Giacomo’s Garland of Roses, donated by winning owners: Mr. and Mrs. Jerome S. Moss. It has been freeze-dried and is up on display in the Museum’s Winner’s Circle.
The next stop in the Museum is The Warner L. Jones, jr. Time Machine which permits visitors to select and view film footage of Derbys as far back as 1918. Included with the footage are interviews with the winning jockeys, trainers and owners.
The Horses, Their Owners and Trainers section provides a look at Derby-winning horses and the key people behind their victorious careers. Pick up a phone in this section and hear the oral history of some of the most famous thoroughbreds in racing; learn about War Admiral, Whirlaway, Seattle Slew and Secretariat to name a few.
Then comes the third exhibit area on the Museum’s first floor, The Jockeys and the Backside. Here visitors learn about the life of a jockey and the community of people who live and work in the racetrack’s stable area known as the backside.
The updated presentation of “The Greatest Race” is the culmination of the first floor experience. When the Kentucky Derby Museum formally opened in April of 1985, a 360-degree multi-media presentation employed 96 slide projectors to tell the story of the Kentucky Derby. The newest production of “The Greatest Race” employs high-definition film technology to bring the Derby story alive. It is the first 360-degree high-definition presentation in the world and it is annually updated in June, capturing the most recent Kentucky Derby victory.
For interactive exhibits that thrill the kids, don’t miss Riders Up, where visitors mount a simulated horse and try to maintain the jockey’s stance for two minutes- the time it takes to run 1.25 mile track on Derby day.
If you’re a history buff, try your hand at the trivia questions in the Test Your Derby IQ exhibit. Do you know what the distance of a furlong is? (220 yards or 1/8 of a mile) Play against a sportswriter in this interactive video quiz.
On the Museum’s second floor you’ll find the Matt Winn Gallery featuring the 2007exhibit “Vanishing Bluegrass.” In April 2008, this exhibit will change to a look at the “Art and Culture of the Backside”.
Permanent exhibits on this floor include African-Americans in Thoroughbred Racing, the Hall of Champions and the International Horseshoeing Hall of Fame. The Kentucky Derby Museum also provides high-tech interactive activities including the Place Your Bets exhibit that teaches the beginner how to handicap races.
Also see our NEW EXHIBITS.
Wendy Treinen
wtreinen@derbymuseum.org
(502) 992-5905
(502) 636-5855 FAX
Kentucky Derby Museum
704 Central Ave
Louisville, Kentucky 40208
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