LOUISVILLE, Ky. — With Kentucky Derby 148 one day away, a prized possession is up for grabs.
Continuing a tradition that dates back decades, Allison Gousha, Kroger Kentucky Derby Coordinator, is tasked with crafting one of the world’s most prestigious flower arrangements.
Gousha tells Spectrum News 1, “This is the most awesome trophy anyone can win for any sporting event.”
Out of 6,000 freedom roses from farms in Colombia, only a few hundred will make the cut to become a signature of the Kentucky Derby: The Garland of Roses.
Kroger’s long-time Derby event coordinator explains that an assembly team hand inspects the roses, only choosing around 460 of the most perfect flowers.
“We’ll go through each one and we’re really looking for that perfect rose with the really nice center almost looks like a quarter can just spin all the down to the center of the point of the rose,” explains Gousha.
She says each rose is individually sewn into the garland, with hidden vials of water to keep the flowers fresh.
“I feel like I look at roses way differently now or look at lilies and greenery way different,” said Gousha.
The garland is 122 inches long and weighs about 40 pounds.
“We’ll have about 8 ladies helping us out sewing, sorting through roses again, helping us thread needles,” adds Gousha.
The making of the rose garland is a treasured tradition for Beverley Fairfax.
Fairfax’s mother, June Domian, was a floral specialist for over two decades and died in September 2020.
The grandmother of five has carefully been constructing the garland every Derby for the last 29 years.
“Now, that she’s not with us anymore, I just kind of continued doing that. It’s a good reminder of our time we spent together,” explains Fairfax.
After months of planning and hours of installation, Fairfax works passionately, making sure everything looks right.
“People have no idea how much time it takes to make this thing. I start in January. It’s pretty much like a full time job,” said Fairfax.
And once the garland is completed, it will be placed on the first horse to cross the finish line on the first Saturday in May.
“When you see the garland go over that winning horse it’s such a sense of like ‘ahhh, that was awesome I was able to prepare that,’” explains Gousha.
Kroger has crafted the garland of roses since 1987.