The Kentucky Derby Museum is throwing open its doors for free on Dec. 10, and this year's Derby in December has a theme with real teeth: celebrating the women who have shaped the Run for the Roses, from a Hall of Fame broadcaster to the trainer who just made history. Admission is free all day, with the museum promising a packed slate of programming built around the Kentucky Derby Festival and Churchill Downs.
According to derbymuseum.org, Derby in December is billed as a free community celebration hosted in partnership with the Kentucky Derby Festival and Churchill Downs, with the museum inviting the public to join them on Dec. 10. As Spectrum News reported, this year's installment recognizes the first female trainer win at the Derby, a nod to a milestone that reshaped the sport earlier this year.
That milestone belongs to Cherie DeVaux, who won the 152nd running of the Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs in Louisville with Golden Tempo in May, becoming the first woman to train a Kentucky Derby winner. The win made her just the second female trainer to capture any Triple Crown race, following Jena Antonucci's 2023 Belmont Stakes victory with Arcangelo, and only the 18th woman ever to saddle a horse in the Derby, according to theguardian.com.
Donna Brothers Honored With Curator's Corner Unveiling
Donna Barton Brothers, a former jockey and recently retired racing analyst, is scheduled to help unveil the museum's new Curator's Corner at 10 a.m., a rotating display of timely artifacts located on the museum's first floor, per the museum's event listing. The exhibit will feature a suit Brothers wore while reporting for NBC Sports at Churchill Downs. Brothers has said she is honored to have one of her Derby outfits displayed, noting she has visited the museum frequently for 30 years or more.
Brothers is also set to join a live taping of The Best Bet Podcast with Claudia Coffey at 10:30 a.m., where she'll discuss her career and bets she's made on herself. The museum's self-guided tour that day will highlight women's stories throughout its exhibits, giving visitors a chance to trace that history at their own pace.
Kroger Sponsorship Opens Doors For Families
Kroger is one of three Derby in December sponsors for the first time this year. Brandie Ryan said Kroger's free-admission support gives more families the opportunity to experience Louisville traditions, according to the same Spectrum News report. The sponsorship arrives as the museum leans into free, all-day access rather than ticketed programming for the celebration.
The event also offers a first look at the 2027 Pegasus Pin and the original Derby and Oaks 153 artwork, with visitors invited to view that artwork up close before it's widely seen. Guests can secure 2027 Kentucky Derby Festival event tickets ahead of the season, with the Festival separately announcing that tickets for all 2027 events go on sale online at 10 a.m. on Nov. 6, according to discover.kdf.org.
Giveaways, Photo Ops And A Hot-Air Balloon Gondola
Families can pick up free Clayton & Crume Derby-themed gifts, breakfast bites and prizes, plus a free notepad featuring the official artist of the 153rd Kentucky Derby and Kentucky Oaks. Attendees also have a chance to win one of four Golden Tempo replica saddle towels and to take home a free 2027 Metal Pegasus Pin, per the museum's listing.
Beyond the giveaways, the day includes a meet-and-greet with the Derby Festival mascot, Derby Festival photo opportunities, and a chance to step inside a real hot-air balloon gondola. The museum's display of the Royal Court robe and crown rounds out the day's offerings, tying the celebration back to Derby pageantry even as the calendar reads December instead of May.
Derby in December has become something of a tradition itself. The museum's second annual event in 2024 ran from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Dec. 3 with free admission, teaming up with Churchill Downs and the Kentucky Derby Festival, and that year's edition opened a new art exhibit featuring photographer Dan Dry's Derby images while unveiling the 2025 Pegasus Pin, according to Spectrum News' earlier coverage. This year's version, according to one report, runs from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Dec. 10, though that detail comes from a single account and has not been independently confirmed by the museum's own listing.
