Is the Woodford Spire more popular than a mint julep at Kentucky Derby
Courier Journal reporter Kirby Adams asks Master Distiller Elizabeth McCall if there’s a cocktail at Churchill Downs more popular than the mint julep.
- Few Kentucky Derby winning horses have names related to food or drink.
- Winning horses with such names include Burgoo King, Whiskery, and I’ll Have Another.
- A 2025 contender named Luxor Cafe could continue the tradition.
For an iconic event associated with a day of drinking (and some eating), you’d think some of those racing in the Kentucky Derby would have names inspired by mint juleps, pimento cheese, hot browns, or just plain ‘ol bourbon.
Historically, though, these staples of the Derby experience have earned little recognition in the form of horse names, at least when considering those who have won over the last 150 years.
Ahead of the 2025 Kentucky Derby, which falls on Saturday, May 3, The Courier Journal looked back at all the winners since 1875 to see how many horse names relate to the imbibing and snacking side of Derby festivities.
The field is relatively small.
The first contender ― and it’s a stretch ― goes to the 1909 winner named Wintergreen, an ingredient that can be used in root beer or other drinks, but 1921’s top horse named Behave Yourself also offers sage advice for those ready to enjoy some mint juleps
Did whoever named the No. 1 horse from a few years later in 1926 have Champagne on the brain when they came up with Bubbling Over?
It’s more likely we know the back story of the next year’s winner. Whiskery, the horse that took the Derby trophy in 1927, gets points for a horse name most akin to Kentucky’s favorite spirit.
Another one of the greats, when it comes to this category, goes to Burgoo King, the horse that won in 1932 and honored this state’s favorite stew.
When Gallant Fox won the Run for the Roses in 1930, no one was thinking about beer. That would come about 90s years later, when two home brewers borrowed the second-ever Triple Crown Winner’s moniker for their new Louisville brewery.
“Being Kentucky guys, we love Kentucky bourbon and Kentucky beer and all things Kentucky, we wanted something that would tie us to the city and to the state,” Roger Huff, co-owner of Gallant Fox Brewery, told the Courier Journal. “We kept coming back to horse racing and to the Derby.”
Looking through the list of past Derby winners, Gallant Fox leaped out.
They opened a brewery of the same name in 2020.
Now with two locations, Gallant Fox also releases a porter each Derby season called “Photo Finish.”
“You have some breweries in town that might be known for certain styles of beer, but we really wanted to be known as the brewery that embodied Kentucky,” he said. “For us, it’s a little bit of pride that we’re named after a horse with such tremendous legacy.”
After Gallant Fox, there’s about a 60-year jump before another name associated with food or drinks.
Go For Gin, an ode to another type of spirit, won in 1994. The famous 2009 upset winner Mine That Bird is a play on the horse’s mother’s name, it could also bring to mind ― and here’s another stretch ― a chicken or other bird commonly found on menus.
Finally, the short-lived luck of these types of titles runs out in 2012, with the aptly-called I’ll Have Another. Plenty of patrons at the upcoming Derby will likely live by that phrase.
As for the 2025 Kentucky Derby horses competing on May 3, not many have a chance of continuing this nontradition. Except for one: Luxor Cafe, the 3-year-old son of 2015 Triple Crown winner American Pharoah. If you’re a foodie, that could be one worth betting on.
Reach food and dining reporter Amanda Hancock at [email protected].
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