The 143rd Kentucky Derby took place a week ago today! It was every bit as surprising and thrilling as I had imagined. The race dates back to 1875 but aspects of the race’s traditions were in the making so many years prior. Great things were happening in KY that built the foundation of the state’s modern day Thoroughbred greatness. Many of the KY Derby bloodlines and customs were under development at My Old Kentucky Home long before Churchill Downs held its first race.
In 1783 Captain William Rowan and his family moved from Pennsylvania to Bardstown, KY. They settled at Federal Hill Farm. Rowan had many important jobs and hobbies. He bought Thoroughbreds for his farm and the horses he chose have bloodlines that trace to nearly every KY Derby horse and 11 of the 12 Triple Crown winners. His 3 famous Thoroughbreds were Rifle, Slipper and Magnolia. These horses are the progeny of Sir Archy, Eclipse and Shakespeare. The only winner of the Triple Crown that doesn’t have Sir Archy in their pedigree is Citation, who won in 1948. The first recorded horse race in Bardstown, KY dates back to 1797.
The Rowan’s continued to live in the home for generations until 1922 when it was sold to the Commonwealth of Kentucky to be preserved as a State Park. While the Rowan family contributed to the bloodlines of American racing as we know it today, they also had influence over the tradition. Their cousin, Stephen Foster had 2 sisters that lived in the home and he occasionally visited. He became a very well known composer and in 1852 he wrote, “My Old Kentucky Home, Good-Night.” This is the song for which the home is now named, it is KY’s state song and it is the traditional song sang before the start of every KY Derby since at least 1928. The Stephen Foster statue, shown above, was made by Abbe Godwin and dedicated in 1994. The property’s cemetery below contains the remains of many Rowan family members including the last owner, Madge Rowan Frost. Her grave is marked with a weeping lady statue in reference to the home’s song chorus, “weep no more my lady”.
I regret that the best things that I saw on this special KY Derby and Horse Racing Customs tour, “The Race is On!”, I was not permitted to photograph. The exterior is also being repaired. In conjunction with the KY Derby, Churchill Downs and other collectors that have loaned out wonderful Thoroughbred history memorabilia which is on display throughout the home and discussed in this specialty tour continuing though May 31, 2017. In honor of the latest Triple Crown winner, American Pharoah, the home has a display of the Zayat family silks and an Equidoodle or Moneigh (funny names for original artwork by horses) made by American Pharoah himself. They had several clothing items from the Disney movie, Secretariat as well as Secretariat’s winning Preakness Stakes garland and his owner’s silks from The Meadow Farm. Also they displayed a Secretariat statue, tickets from all three legs of his Triple Crown win and a horseshoe from his Belmont Stakes win. Other racing items include paintings of the family’s famous horses, a Stephen Foster pewter trophy from the race named for him, several family owned julep cups and a collection of 2017 KY Derby hats. Additionally, the guide sang, “My Old Kentucky Home, Good-Night” for the tour group, it was spine tingling. Outdoors, there is a Derby Rose Garden. If you have the opportunity to see it for yourself, follow this link
http://visitmyoldkyhome.com/kentuckyderby/
Please, enjoy what I was able to share with you. My Old Kentucky Home is quite special to the people of KY and all who visit my state. Check back real soon as I will be posting again in advance of the Preakness Stakes. As Stephen Foster composed it, “my old Kentucky home, Good-Night!”
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