Break out your best fedora or fascinator. It’s time for the Kentucky Derby.
The premiere horse racing event of the season is this weekend, as 20 horses and their jockeys will gallop for the 1.25 miles with the hope that they cross the finish line first.
The scene at Churchill Downs is always an extravagant one. While there are plenty of high-profile celebrities that attend the event, everyone in attendance is dressed to the nines. From fancy dresses to pristine suits, the outfits at the Kentucky Derby are sights to behold.
While the tops and bottoms are always intriguing, there is nothing that compares to the hats that are worn at the race track. The bigger, the better when it comes to the lids people sport at the Kentucky Derby.
What is the history behind the hats at the Kentucky Derby? The Sporting News explains.
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Kentucky Derby hats tradition, explained
The history of the extravagant derby hats dates all the way to the early days of the event, and has British and French ties, according to Jessica Whitehead, curator of collections at the Kentucky Derby Museum in Louisville.
Colonel Meriwether Lewis Clark Jr. — the man who helped establish the Kentucky Derby and founded…
