Kentucky Derby Museum facts for kids
| Established | 1985 |
|---|---|
| Location | Churchill Downs, Louisville, Kentucky |
| Collections | Thoroughbred horse racing |
The Kentucky Derby Museum is a cool place to visit if you love horses and racing! It's a museum all about Thoroughbred horse racing. You can find it right on the grounds of Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky. The museum works hard to keep the amazing history of the Kentucky Derby alive. It first opened its doors in the spring of 1985.
Contents
What You Can See and Do
The museum has two floors full of exciting exhibits. One of the best parts is a special 360-degree theater. Here, you can watch an awesome HD film called The Greatest Race.
Learning About Racehorses
Through the film and other exhibits, you can discover how a young horse is bred and trained. You'll learn all about the journey it takes to become a Kentucky Derby winner. The museum also celebrates every Kentucky Derby victory. You can even watch any Derby race from 1918 to today in the Warner L. Jones Time Machine!
Stories of Champions
The exhibits also share the stories of the people involved in racing. You can learn about the owners, trainers, and jockeys. The museum highlights the important role of African American jockeys and trainers in the race's history. They also played a big part in the entire Thoroughbred industry.
Behind the Scenes Tours
If you visit, you can also take guided tours of Churchill Downs. These tours let you see the barn areas and the infield. You might even get to peek into the jockeys' quarters, "millionaires' row," and the press box!
A Big Flood and a Fresh Start
On August 4, 2009, the museum faced a big challenge. Flash flooding caused a lot of damage. Every exhibit on the main floor was affected by water. The museum had to close for a while to clean up and recover.
Since many exhibits were damaged, the museum decided to make big changes. They used this chance to do a major renovation. The museum reopened on April 18, 2010, just in time for the 2010 Kentucky Derby. The flood actually made them speed up their plans for a new and improved museum!
Finding Lost Trophies
The museum keeps track of most of the trophies given to Derby winners. As of 2007, they were still looking for ten missing trophies. Eight of these look like the design used today since 1924. Two others are from a different design given out in 1922 and 1923.
Here are the missing trophies and their winners:
- 1922 : Morvich
- 1923 : Zev
- 1924 : Black Gold
- 1929 : Clyde Van Dusen
- 1936 : Bold Venture
- 1947 : Jet Pilot
- 1951 : Count Turf
- 1962 : Decidedly
- 1986 : Ferdinand
- 2002 : War Emblem
A Special Resting Place for Champions
The museum has created a special cemetery on its grounds. Five past Derby winners are buried here. Their original graves were in danger because of new buildings being built. So, the museum helped move them to a safe place.
The champions buried at the museum are:
- Brokers Tip (1930–1953)
- Carry Back (1958–1983)
- Sunny's Halo (1980–2003)
- Swaps (1952–1972)
- Dust Commander (1967–1991)
Another famous Derby winner, Barbaro (2003–2007), is buried just outside an entrance to Churchill Downs. This spot is also outside the museum. His owners wanted his fans to be able to visit his grave without having to pay an admission fee.
