Flowers have always been synonymous with the great horse races. A garland of lilies for the fillies in the Kentucky Oaks, a blanket of roses for the Kentucky Derby. It seems quaint that beautiful flowers would come to symbolize some of the greatest sporting events in the world, but they have and a horse standing in the winners circle with a blanket of roses seems as natural as hoisting a trophy. I still have a rose from the blanket of Spend A Buck when he won in 1985. And who can forget jockey Calvin Borel tossing handfuls of roses in the air after he wins the Derby.
The wining owner of the Kentucky Oaks and the Kentucky Derby will get lots of money, as well as a trophy, but I bet the flowers from the garlands will be something they keep forever. With all the glamour that is associated with this great weekend, it might just be the quaintness of a flower that means the most.
This is our most cherished time in Kentucky, a time when the world renews itself with spring. That's why we love all things Derby and the promise of something special. Maybe a flower is the best symbol of that feeling.
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