Road to the Roses

2026 Kentucky Derby Prep Races – Road to the Roses

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The Origin of the Road to the Roses

In the winner’s circle, the top horse is presented with a beautiful garland made of more than 400 red roses. In 1904 the red rose was adopted as the official flower of the Kentucky Derby, hence the Run to the Roses!

It was New York sports columnist Bill Corum, who dubbed the Kentucky Derby the “Run for the Roses,” in 1925. The tradition of the rose is so strong that some owners have even had the flower dipped in silver to preserve it. In fact, a silver-dipped flower from the garland of the 1982 winner, Gato del Sol, is on display in the Kentucky Derby Museum, at Churchill Downs.

Garland of Roses

The rose garland is now synonymous with the Kentucky Derby. The first appearance of the rose in the winner’s circle was in 1896 when Ben Brush received a floral arrangement of white and pink roses. Today, the Governor of Kentucky and other dignitaries present the garland and the trophy in the winner’s circle at the completion of the Derby. There’s even a song called “Run for the Roses” composed by Dan Fogelberg which was released in time for the 1982 running of the roses.

In 1987, the Kroger Company became the official florist of the Kentucky Derby and it created the garland in the aisles of one of its stores on the eve of the Derby. It’s typically a scene of long lines where race fans try to catch a peek at the Derby winner’s garland of roses. Not your typical trip to the grocery store with winning jockeys signing autographs in the back of the store!

The roses are stitched one by one by hand to a green silk backing with the seal of the Commonwealth and Twin Spires on one side and that year’s running of the roses on the other. There is a single rose pointing upward which is said to “symbolize the struggle and heart necessary to reach the Derby Winner’s Circle.” It’s a meticulous process and very labor intensive. The roses are shipped in significantly, cut to size then stored in upright vials for the assembly team to get to work, some of whom have been participating in this tradition for more than the 27 years that it’s been Kroger’s job to create work of art.

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