Royalty and Roses: The Nobility Comes to Churchill Downs

Meriwether Lewis Clark Jr. envisioned the Kentucky Derby as an American version of the grand classic at Epsom; his goal was to create the same grand celebration of the best three-year-olds in the country. Over a century and a half, the Run for the Roses has evolved into a day at the races unlike any other, a place where celebrities both equine and human want to be seen and shine.

Not only has the Kentucky Derby played to many Thoroughbred kings and queens, but it has also attracted its share of royalty to the day’s celebrations, including famed royal equestrienne herself, Queen Elizabeth II.

Lord Derby – 1930

Clark's ancestor, the 12th Earl of Derby, influenced not only the sport of horse racing in England but also across the world, starting with the names of classic races called the Oaks for fillies and the Derby for colts and geldings. A century and a half later, Edward George Villiers Stanley, the 17th Earl of Derby, ventured across the Atlantic for a visit to horsey destinations in Kentucky and New York. 

Lord Derby arrived in New York on the Aquitania two weeks before the Derby and attended events in New York and Washington, D.C., before arriving in Kentucky. There, he visited host Joseph Widener’s Elmendorf Farm, where Lord Derby’s own stakes winner Sickle was standing stud, and attended a dinner in his honor hosted by Col. Matt Winn. The next day, the man whose family gave racing the term "derby" watched the second-most famous namesake classic after the one at Epsom. 

Standing in a viewing stand specially constructed for his visit, Lord Derby gave a 10-minute address to the millions listening to the race’s broadcast on radio and watched Gallant Fox win the 56th Kentucky Derby. He presented the famed gold trophy to his friend William Woodward, whose time in England with Lord Derby and other racing royals influenced his career as breeder and owner.  

Princess Margaret and Lord Snowdon – 1974 

Queen Elizabeth II's father, King George VI, continued the monarchy’s racing tradition when he ascended the throne in late 1936 and reigned until his death in 1952. She kept the royal colors in play when she joined him as Princess Elizabeth and then continued her love for horses during her reign. The queen and her family were well acquainted with quite a few top American owners, including C.V. and Marylou Whitney. For the 100th Kentucky Derby, the Queen’s sister Princess Margaret and brother-in-law Lord Snowdon traveled to Lexington to visit the Whitneys and take in the Derby festivities. 

Accompanied by heavy security, the couple was escorted to a third-floor box where they took in the day’s events, including the Debutante Stakes, won by Whitney’s Sun and Snow. She joined the gathered luminaries for the trophy presentation, congratulating trainer Woody Stephens. That evening, she and Lord Snowdon joined the post-Derby party in Churchill Downs’ Directors Room, celebrating a century of the race inspired by an English classic.

Prince Albert of Monaco – 2002 

Jack Kelly made his money in construction and his reputation in rowing, winning three gold medals at the 1920 and 1924 Olympic Games. The Philadelphia native built his construction business after serving in World War I and married Margaret Majer, the first coach of women’s sports at the University of Pennsylvania, in 1924. The couple had four children, including daughter Grace, the Oscar-winning star of films such as "Dial M for Murder" and "Rear Window."

His business connections gave Kelly the opportunity to collaborate with three others to build Atlantic City Race Course in 1946. Shareholders included Frank Sinatra and Bob Hope, as his daughter’s celebrity connections helped Kelly populate the New Jersey racing plant with famous names. The Olympic champion was also among the first to purchase a new Churchill Downs innovation: a supersized box that could seat up to 10. That investment gave rise to the Kelly family tradition of an annual trip to the Run for the Roses.

Grace Kelly gave up her acting career to marry Prince Rainier III of Monaco and gave birth to three children, including son Albert. The Kelly family continued its annual Derby tradition well into the new millennium, and in 2002, Prince Albert joined the party for War Emblem’s victory and had continued at least through 2016 to attend the country’s biggest day at the races every other year.

Queen Elizabeth II – 2007

Though the queen made five trips to Kentucky during her decades as monarch, she visited Churchill Downs for the Run for the Roses only once, joining more than 150,000 fellow racing fans for the 133rd edition in 2007. Accompanied by husband Prince Philip, the lifelong horsewoman spent several hours in the fourth-floor Stakes Room, toured the track’s trophy room, and watched Calvin Borel and Street Sense beat Hard Spun by 2 1/4 lengths. 

Their time in the Bluegrass State was part of a weeklong state visit to the United States. The couple stayed at Will Farish’s Lane’s End Farm in Versailles; Farish had met Prince Charles at a polo match years earlier and then introduced the breeder and owner to the queen. Farish later served as ambassador to the United Kingdom from 2001 to 2004. Her visit to Lane’s End was not her first as she had toured several Lexington horse farms during her 1984 visit. 

Though her time at the Derby was short — she was able to stay for about three hours — the queen’s visit to the historic racetrack ticked another item off the royal racing fan’s bucket list.