LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- The Kentucky Derby is synonymous with "The Run for the Roses."
But why?
Just like anything Derby related, it has to do with tradition, pageantry and racing lore.
It's believed that in 1883, Meriwether Lewis Clark Jr., who built and founded Churchill Downs, was at a party where roses were being given to the women.
“He liked that so much that he decided to adopt the rose as the official flower of the Kentucky Derby,” said Chris Goodlett, director of curatorial and educational affairs at the Kentucky Derby Museum.
But it wasn't until 13 years later, in 1896, that roses were given to the Derby winner.
“There have been some instances where they had white or pink roses," Goodlett said. "The garland really becomes an official part of the Kentucky Derby in 1932."
Before that year, the rose arrangement was similar to a wreath or string of roses before it became the garland of roses.
Today, the garland is 122 inches long, 22 inches wide and weighs about 40 pounds.
Kroger has been crafting the garland each year since 1987. A crown of roses is placed at the center of the garland, and each rose represents the number of horses racing. If a horse scratches from the race, a rose is removed. A special rose is then placed in the center, representing the heart and soul that it takes to make it into the winner’s circle.
Planning for the garland actually begins in January. Five thousand Freedom Roses are ordered from Ecuador.
“It's the perfect color and size,” Kroger Derby Coordinator Allison Gousha said.
Of the 5,000 roses, only the best of the best will make it onto the garland.
“We have a grading system of the roses," Gousha said. "We do it win, place and show. So the perfect hero roses, what we call them, will be in the ‘wins,’ then we'll have the ones that are OK be in ‘place,’ and the duds will be in the ‘show.'"
But the grading doesn’t end there. The roses placed in the "win" category will be graded three more times to find the top 465. All of the remaining roses will be used in some way.
“This is a huge trophy and a huge honor for that jockey, the horse, the trainer, the owner, so we want it to represent that perfect rose,” Gousha said.
The garland is sewn together the day before the derby in public at the Kroger in Middletown. It takes up to 12 hours to complete and then gets a police escort to the track on Derby day.
The garland is now seen as a trophy itself. Many are preserved after winning.
It’s believed Mine That Bird’s rose garland was the only one to be taken apart. The 50-1 longshot won the Derby in 2009. The next day, his garland was displayed at the Barbaro statue, where the owners and trainer decided to give the individual roses to fans visiting Churchill Downs.
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