LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- The garland of lilies is ready for the winner of the Kentucky Oaks.
Master florists were hard at work Thursday evening at the Middletown Kroger piecing the garland together.
It takes about 145 starfighter lilies all hand-sewn together. Florists said a ton of work goes into making the garland, and nothing is left to chance.
"They get hand-picked, they get hand-taped just to add a little bit of stability, then we place them in the water tubes, hand tie them, they'll get sprayed throughout the night, it will be refrigerated overnight, and we'll have a police escort tomorrow (Friday) morning out to the track," said Allison Gousha, Kroger Derby coordinator.
Kroger has created the garland for the Kentucky Oaks winner since 1991.
The Kentucky Derby livestreams the creation of the Oaks garland of lilies on its YouTube page each year. To watch it back, click on the video player below.
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