Kentucky Derby Museum facts for kids
| Established | 1985 |
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| Location | Churchill Downs, Louisville, Kentucky |
| Collections | Thoroughbred horse racing |
The Kentucky Derby Museum is a special museum in Louisville, Kentucky. It is located right at Churchill Downs, where the famous Kentucky Derby horse race happens. This museum helps keep the history of the Kentucky Derby alive. It first opened its doors in the spring of 1985. A big donation from James Graham Brown helped get it started.
The museum has two floors full of exciting exhibits. There's even a 360-degree theater! In this theater, you can watch an amazing HD film called The Greatest Race.
You can learn all about how young foals (baby horses) are bred and trained. The museum shows their journey to the Kentucky Derby winner's circle. You can also see how important African American jockeys and trainers were to the race.
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Explore the Derby's History
The Warner L. Jones Time Machine is a cool exhibit. Here, you can watch any Kentucky Derby race from 1918 until today. It's like traveling back in time! The museum also shares stories of the owners, trainers, and jockeys.
You can even take guided tours of Churchill Downs. These tours show you the barns, the jockeys' quarters, and the press box. It's a great way to see behind the scenes!
Museum Reopens After Flood
On August 4, 2009, a big flash flood hit the museum. Many exhibits on the main floor were damaged by water. The museum had to close for a while to clean up and fix everything.
Because so much needed repair, the museum decided to do a major renovation. It reopened on April 18, 2010. This was just in time for the 2010 Kentucky Derby! The flood made the renovation bigger and faster than planned.
Finding Missing Derby Trophies
The museum works hard to find all the trophies given to Derby winners. As of 2007, they were still looking for ten missing trophies. Eight of these looked like the trophies used today. Two others were from 1922 and 1923, with a different design.
Here are the years and winners of the missing trophies:
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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. 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 nearby. His grave is just outside an entrance to Churchill Downs. His owners wanted his fans to visit him without paying an admission fee.
See also
