LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- The 50th anniversary of Secretariat's historic Kentucky Derby win will be honored by this year's Woodford Reserve $1,000 Mint Julep.
The bourbon distillery unveiled a total of 150 julep cups that will be sold with proceeds benefiting the Secretariat Foundation, which was started by the owner of "Big Red," Penny Chenery, to help the thoroughbred industry.Â
Each julep cup is hand-crafted by Louisville-based jeweler From the Vault. Each cup features Secretariat's famed blue and white checkered silks in sapphires. One side of the cup features an engraving of 1973, the year Secretariat won The Kentucky Derby, and the other features 2023.
The charity sale features 100 silver cups that sell for $1,000 and include a specially-made mint julep picked up at Churchill Downs on Kentucky Derby Day. There are also 50 gold cups that will sell for $3,500. The cups are presented in a wooden box lined with a silk artwork of Secretariat in the Winner's Circle at Churchill Downs.
Each gold cup will be engraved with the names of the person who purchased it, and they will receive the handwritten autograph of Secretariat Jockey Ron Turcotte.
The mint julep recipe for 2023 features Woodford Reserve Bourbon and handmade chestnut liqueur, which honors Secretariat's chestnut coat, as well as mint and Virginia bluebell flowers to celebrate the state where Secretariat was born.
The 50th anniversary of Secretariat's historic Kentucky Derby win will be honored by this year's Woodford Reserve $1,000 Mint Julep. (Image courtesy Woodford Reserve/Brown Forman Corp.)
Secretariat's Mint Julep
- 2 oz. Woodford Reserve Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
- 1 oz. chestnut liqueur
- 1 sprig of mint, for garnish
- 1 stalk of Virginia bluebells, for garnish
Directions: Mix, then pour over a julep cup filled with crushed ice. Garnish with one sprig of mint and one stalk of Virginia bluebells.
The Secretariat Foundation supports thoroughbred and equine-related industries. Chenery passed away in 2017, but her children continue operating the charity in her memory. It was her wish to use the foundation to bring greater awareness to causes that help horses and the people who care for them.
IMAGES | Woodford Reserve's $1,000 Mint Julep cups through the years
Each limited edition cup helped raise money for an equine charity.Â
2006 Woodford Reserve $1,000 Mint Julep cup. Image courtesy Brown-Forman.Â
2006 Woodford Reserve $1,000 Mint Julep cup. Image courtesy Brown-Forman.Â
2007 Woodford Reserve $1,000 Mint Julep cup. Image courtesy Brown-Forman.Â
2007 Woodford Reserve $1,000 Mint Julep cup. Image courtesy Brown-Forman.Â
2008 Woodford Reserve $1,000 Mint Julep cup. Image courtesy Brown-Forman.Â
2009 Woodford Reserve $1,000 Mint Julep cup. Image courtesy Brown-Forman.Â
2010 Woodford Reserve $1,000 Mint Julep cup. Image courtesy Brown-Forman.Â
2011 Woodford Reserve $1,000 Mint Julep cup. Image courtesy Brown-Forman.Â
2011 Woodford Reserve $1,000 Mint Julep cup. Image courtesy Brown-Forman.Â
2012 Woodford Reserve $1,000 Mint Julep cup. Image courtesy Brown-Forman.Â
2012 Woodford Reserve $1,000 Mint Julep cup. Image courtesy Brown-Forman.Â
2013 Woodford Reserve $1,000 Mint Julep cup. Image courtesy Brown-Forman.Â
2013 Woodford Reserve $1,000 Mint Julep cup. Image courtesy Brown-Forman.Â
2014 Woodford Reserve $1,000 Mint Julep cup. Image courtesy Brown-Forman.Â
2015 Woodford Reserve $1,000 Mint Julep cup. Image courtesy Brown-Forman.Â
- Robert Grimm
2016 Woodford Reserve $1,000 Mint Julep cup. Image courtesy Brown-Forman.Â
2017 Woodford Reserve $1,000 Mint Julep cup. Image courtesy Brown-Forman.Â
2018 Woodford Reserve $1,000 Mint Julep cup. Image courtesy Brown-Forman.Â
2018 Woodford Reserve $1,000 Mint Julep cup. Image courtesy Brown-Forman.Â
2019 Woodford Reserve $1,000 Mint Julep cup. Image courtesy Brown-Forman.Â
2020 Woodford Reserve $1,000 Mint Julep cup. Image courtesy Brown-Forman.Â
2021 Woodford Reserve $1,000 Mint Julep cup. Image courtesy Brown-Forman.Â
2022 Woodford Reserve $1,000 Mint Julep cup. Image courtesy Brown-Forman.Â
The 50th anniversary of Secretariat's historic Kentucky Derby win will be honored by this year's Woodford Reserve $1,000 Mint Julep. (Image courtesy Woodford Reserve/Brown Forman Corp.)
The 50th anniversary of Secretariat's historic Kentucky Derby win will be honored by this year's Woodford Reserve $1,000 Mint Julep. (Image courtesy Woodford Reserve/Brown Forman Corp.)
The Woodford Reserve $1,000 Mint Julep charity cups for 2024 honor the 150th Kentucky Derby and benefit the Backside Learning Center at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky. Image courtesy Woodford Reserve. April 9, 2024
The Woodford Reserve $1,000 Mint Julep charity cups for 2024 honor the 150th Kentucky Derby and benefit the Backside Learning Center at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky. Image courtesy Woodford Reserve. April 9, 2024
The Woodford Reserve $1,000 and $5,000 Mint Julep Cup for the 151st Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky. This year, the charity program benefits the Paris, Kentucky horse sanctuary Our Mims. (Image courtesy Brown-Forman) April 8, 2025
The Woodford Reserve $1,000 and $5,000 Mint Julep Cup for the 151st Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky. This year, the charity program benefits the Paris, Kentucky horse sanctuary Our Mims. (Image courtesy Brown-Forman) April 8, 2025
The Woodford Reserve $1,000 and $5,000 Mint Julep Cup for the 151st Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky. This year, the charity program benefits the Paris, Kentucky horse sanctuary Our Mims. (Image courtesy Brown-Forman) April 8, 2025
The Woodford Reserve $1,000 and $5,000 Mint Julep Cup for the 151st Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky. This year, the charity program benefits the Paris, Kentucky horse sanctuary Our Mims. (Image courtesy Brown-Forman) April 8, 2025
The Woodford Reserve $5,000 Mint Julep Cup for the 151st Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky. This year, the charity program benefits the Paris, Kentucky horse sanctuary Our Mims. (Image courtesy Brown-Forman) April 8, 2025
Secretariat is believed by many to be the greatest race horse of all time. He set a record finish time in the 1973 Derby of 1:59 2/5 and went on to set records in the Preakness and the Belmont Stakes. "Big Red's" win in the Belmont was by 31 lengths, which is one of the most iconic moments in thoroughbred racing. At the time, he was the first Triple Crown winner in 25 years.
The Woodford Reserve $1,000 mint juleps go on sale starting April 13, 2023 at WoodfordReserveMintJulep.com.Â
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