The Kentucky Derby 133 is only a few weeks away, so better start planning your Kentucky Derby party now!

Sunday, May 5th is the 133rd running of the Kentucky Derby and your friends and family will be ready for a party!  So, get your invitations, party decorations, recipes and party favors ready before tmie runs out!

Kentucky Derby Invitation Ideas

Create your own using your favorite software program. These can be done to look like tickets to add even more fun to your party. Or use pictures of horses, jockeys, roses, or ladies with big hats on the front with your party details on the inside.

Place vases or mint julep glasses around your party room with roses in each (they can be artificial). Have silks hung around the room, if possible. This can be done inexpensively by buying some fabric from your local fabric store and throwing different colors on the backs of chairs, over doors, etc.

Label doorways around your party room with signs they’d see at Churchill Downs, for example: Betting, Cashier, Gentlemen and Ladies (put these on bathroom doors), Grandstand, Paddock, etc. Print out and post pictures of horses around your room too. For fun, place small horse figurines on tables too.

Kentucky Derby Party Supplies, Decorations

There are also great plastic jockey hats for your tables and as party favors, kentucky derby beads,  jockey and horse confetti, chocolate cigars for enjoying after the race, rose garlands and race horse chandeliers!! 

Kentucky Derby Party Activities and Games

Kentucky Derby Betting Ideas

Create a sheet of paper or a poster board with a large block for each horse in the race.  Have everyone at the party pay a designated amount to write their name in their favorite horse’s box.  They can do this for one or more horses and they can also enter their name under a horse more than once.  More than one person is allowed to put their name under the same horse. At the end of the race, take all of the money divided by the number of bets on the winning horse and distribute that percentage of the pot to each person who chose the winning horse.

There are also software programs that allow you to create your own betting sheets, so you can have your guests bet the way they would if they were at the Kentucky Derby.

Prepare and hand out betting slips/race stats and hand them to each of your guests as they enter. These can usualy be found at the Kentucky Derby website, or in newspapers such as USA Today, etc.

Hat Parade

Notify your guests to wear their Derby best to the party and have your very own hat Parade after the race. Award prizes for fanciest, funniest, largest, smallest, etc.

My Old Kentucky Home Singalong

Invite your guests to sing a long to the song.. before the race.

MY OLD KENTUCKY HOME
By Stephen Foster

The sun shines bright in the old Kentucky home,
Tis summer, the people are gay;
The corn-top’s ripe and the meadow’s in the bloom
While the birds make music all the day.

The young folks roll on the little cabin floor
All merry, all happy and bright;
By’n by hard times comes a knocking at the door
Then my old Kentucky home, Good-night!

Weep no more my lady. Oh! Weep no more today!
We will sing one song for my old Kentucky home
For the old Kentucky home, far away.

Kentucky Derby Food and Drink Recipes

Mint Julep
4 fresh mint sprigs
2 1/2 oz bourbon whiskey
1 tsp powdered sugar
2 tsp water

Muddle mint leaves, powdered sugar, and water in a collins glass. Fill the glass with shaved or crushed ice and add bourbon. Top with more ice and garnish with a mint sprig. Serve with a straw.

Bourbon Balls
1 (6 oz.) pkg. semi-sweet chocolate bits
1/2 c. sugar
3 tbsp. light corn syrup (Karo white)
1/3 c. bourbon
2 1/2 c. (about 5 dozen) finely crushed vanilla wafers
1 c. finely chopped pecan nuts
Powdered sugar to roll balls in

Melt chocolate over hot water. Remove from hot water and stir in sugar and syrup. Blend in bourbon. Combine wafers and nuts and add to chocolate mixture; mix well.
Form 1-inch balls and roll in confectioners sugar. Let ripen in covered container at least several days. Makes about 4 1/2 dozen. Will keep 3-4 weeks in tightly covered container!
 
Kentucky Horse Race Pie
2 eggs, slightly beaten
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter, melted
3 to 4 tablespoons bourbon
1/4 cup corn starch
1 cup chopped pecans
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate bits

Combine the eggs, sugar, melted butter and bourbon. Add the cornstarch to the mixture, blending in slowly.
Stir in the pecans and chocolate bits. Pour into an unbaked 9 inch pie shell.

Bake in a pre-heated 350 degree F. oven for approximately 45 minutes.
Kentucky Hot Brown
3 ounces turkey breast, roasted, sliced
1 slice toasted white bread
2 slices tomato
2 slices bacon, cooked and drained
Sauce:
2 ounces butter
3 ounces flour
3/4 cup cream
1/4 cup milk
1/2 cup Swiss cheese, grated
salt and white pepper to taste

Heat butter and add flour. Whisk and slowly cook for 5 minutes. Whisk in cream and milk and heat. Whisk in cheese until melted. Season. Simmer for 30 minutes. Sauce should be very thick.
Quarter toast and place in an oven safe dish. Top with turkey and tomatoes. Cover well with sauce. Bake at 400deg for 10 minutes. Garnish with bacon.

Cucumber Sandwiches
1 medium burp-less cucumber peeled
1 (3 oz) package cream cheese softened
1/4 cup minced onion
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon white pepper
1/8 teaspoon hot sauce

Coarsely shred enough cucumber to make 1 cup. Press shredded cucumber between paper towels to remove excess moisture (this is very important). Beat cream cheese until fluffy. Stir prepared cucumber and remaining ingredients into cream cheese.

Cut crusts off thin sliced Pepperidge Farm white bread

Spread mixture between two slices of of bread

Cut sandwiches into quarters

Store in a container lined with a moist towel covered with wax paper. Put single layers of sandwiches in container between sheets of wax paper – refrigerate over night or a couple of days.