LOUISVILLE, Ky. — The Woodford Reserve $1,000 Mint Julep charity program is honoring the 50th anniversary of Secretariat winning the Kentucky Derby!
A total of 150 cups will be available for purchase starting April 13. Officials said cups must be picked up at Churchill Downs on Derby Day at the $1,000 Mint Julep Experience in the paddock.
All proceeds this year will go toward the Secretariat Foundation, which was created by Secretariat's owner Penny Chenery to support thoroughbred and equine-related industries.
The cups, handmade by Louisville-based jeweler From the Vault, are all designed with Secretariat's blue and white checkered silks in sapphires. The left side of the cup has an engraving of 1973, the year Secretariat won the Derby, and the right side has an engraving of 2023.
Officials said out of the 150 cups, 100 are silver cups being sold for $1,000 and 50 are gold cups being sold for $3,500.
Everyone purchasing the gold cups will have their names engraved on the bottom - if they're purchased before April 26 - and they will also get a handwritten autograph of Secretariat Jockey Ron Turcotte. The cups will all be laid in a silk artwork of Secretariat in the Winner’s Circle at Churchill Downs.
“Secretariat is one of the most iconic thoroughbreds in horse racing history, and it’s an honor to celebrate his enduring legacy through our $1,000 Mint Julep program,” Elizabeth McCall, Woodford Reserve master distiller, said. “The money raised from this charity program will help ensure the impact of Secretariat is told for many years to come."
The mint julep recipe consists of Woodford Reserve bourbon, chestnut liqueur, and mint and Virginia bluebell flowers.
Secretariat’s Mint Julep
2 oz. Woodford Reserve Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
1 oz. chestnut liqueur
1 sprig of mint, for garnish
1 stalk of Virginia bluebells, for garnish
Directions: Mix, then pour over a julep cup filled with crushed ice. Garnish with one sprig of mint and one stalk of Virginia bluebells.
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