The official flower of each Triple Crown race, explained

In one the series defining features, the winner of each Triple Crown race poses in the winner’s circle draped in a blanket of flowers. A different one for each race.

Over the years the races have become inextricably linked to the flower in question. Some of the flowers have stories behind them, and one is actually a fraud. The connection, especially, between the Kentucky Derby and the red rose is so deeply entrenched that it is fairly commonly referred to as “the run for the roses.”

These garlands, made of real flowers, take quite a bit of time and energy to assemble for a very short time in the spotlight. The Derby, obviously, features red roses. The Preakness Stakes features black-eyed Susans, and the Belmont Stakes white carnations.

Kentucky Derby: Red Roses

Though there is no concrete connection between the Kentucky Derby and the red rose, the tradition is very, very firmly entrenched in the race. It began in 1883, the race’s eighth running, when the founder of Churchill Downs attended a party after the race. At that event, the racetracks founder presented each of the ladies in attendance with a rose. The next year, the rose’s link to the Derby became more apparent, but not in any official capacity. The first time the flowers were draped over the winning horse was in 1896. The tradition was not set in stone that first year though. The first blanket of roses for the Derby winner was apparently made of pink and white roses, not the red ones that have become standard since.

The red rose was specifically presented to the winner, and made the race’s official flower in 1904. At first, the winner was simply presented with a smaller, “horseshoe” of the flowers. However, as the race grew in prominence — and after the notion of the Triple Crown was solidified and the prestige increased — that changed. In 1925, the nickname “the run for the roses” was coined by a reporter. And the roses presented to the winner took their current form in 1932.