$1,000 Mint Juleps Return to the Kentucky Derby
Last year Woodford Reserve gave 50 traditional mint juleps a $1000 upgrade at the Kentucky Derby by using exotic ingredients and serving them in gold cups with silver straws. With the drinks providing such a unique keepsake and proceeds benefiting retired horses and jockeys through Thoroughbred Charities of America, the $1000 juleps were huge a success. So this year they'll be coming around again -- only with even more flair than before.This year there will be a julep cup representing each of the Derby winners all the way from the first, Aristides, to the most recent, Barbaro. Those two, plus the 11 triple crown winners in between, will be auctioned off online between April 17th and May 1st -- and of course somewhat of a bidding war is expected over Barbaro's cup (it will be interesting to see who wins out on that one). Altogether this year there will be a grand total of 133 special edition mint juleps made, with only 10 being held back for sale at the actual race. In addition to those 10, and the 13 up for online auction, 109 are available to purchase online for $1000 each (first come first buy), and one will be reserved and sent to this year's Derby winner, free of charge.
As before, the juleps will leave nothing wanting in the way of exotic ingredients from around the world, featuring mint from Ireland, organic sugar from Australia, ice from the Bavarian Alps, and of course bourbon from Woodford Reserve.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Andi Apr 20th 2007 4:39PM
I'd buy one if I had the money, if only to be supportive of the retired horses. They need all the help they can get :(
anonymous Apr 30th 2007 12:19PM
That's the dumbest thing I've ever read. The horses should just be made into glue and horse kabobs since they are now worthless anyway.
WorkingClass Apr 30th 2007 3:29PM
I 100% agree with #2.
this is whats wrong with the world.
im a 20 year old who earns 100 bucks a paycheck working for his family, trying to live out the American dream. why don't you send me a 1000 dollars to help me afford gas and living. or how bout your local homeless guy. for a thousand bucks you could clean him up, buy him a suit and a hotel for a few days... just that little push to help him get a job. im sure any school would gladly take that money off your hands. theres soooo many better uses for a thousand bucks than a stupid cup.
BrghtEyes Apr 30th 2007 3:35PM
While I understand making a donation to the charity, I would not pay that much for a drink. Don't get me wrong, I love animals, but I would rather donate to the charity directly than spend all that money to only have half of it benefit the horses and the other half go towards the cup production.
David Parks Apr 30th 2007 3:36PM
I agree with 2 And 3, and laugh at 1. "Supportive of retired horses"? "They need all the help they can get"!? HEY, HERE'S AN IDEA! Stop paying thousands to pay for the life support of a stupid washed up racing animal, and give it to a cancer research place, or an orphanage, or even a dang library, I mean, come on people! Have you all lost your common sense??
jess Apr 30th 2007 4:00PM
I'm extremely glad that numbers 2,3,and 5 understand completely the work that goes into preparing for the derby. I would like to see you get up at 4am every morning to work at Churchill. You really don't know how serious people are about their horses. Turn them into glue? How about I turn your pets into tasty asian meals when they get old. (And yes, they do eat cats AND dogs in some asian countries.) And as for retired racehorses being "worthless," once they retire they are used for breeding.
rob Apr 30th 2007 4:19PM
i think its sick that all of you people have no respect for animals!
sure, they may be long and gone, but have you actually thought about what your posting? if u dont like the idea, then dont buy the drink!! its not like they make buy it! sure, there are all sorts of homeless people in america, but what really all comes down to is, how is 2 nights in a nice hotel (prices nowadays) and some fast food or a nice dinner going to do for them. true food is a nice delicacy for someone with no money in their pockets, but in the end, the person is gonna have a nice night and then be out on the street again! horses are living things you know! im not going to take the position of tree hugger or hardcore hunter on this one, but really, knock some sense into yourselfs! these horses are worked to the bone day in and day out, and really, when you think about it, its not the jockey who wins, its the horse! how would you like if you were a runner and one season you do badly, someone calls you old, kills you, and eats you. overall, im really disturbed by the dumbness of some of these comments. its called humanity and college.
WorkingClass Apr 30th 2007 4:42PM
lol, wow rob, that blows my mind. you talk of humanity yet your treating the horse with more respect than the homeless you mentioned. wheres the humanity in that? let me quote you for one sec.
"...these horses are worked to the bone day in and day out..."
"how would you like if you were a runner and one season you do badly, someone calls you old, kills you, and eats you"
now let me ask you this... how would you like it if you worked for a living, then one day you made a mistake and got fired. with no job, you couldnt afford to pay the rent and got kicked out. with no place to live you wound up on the streets....
yeah, poor horses. oh, and by the way, it doesn't have to be a "nice" hotel. im sure someone on the streets wouldn't mind if they were put up in a motel 6 for a week.
and jess. docent the process of breeding cost some sort of money? and if so, why doesn't the price cover the cost of the horse's living? that just seems like bad business to me.
piemann1934 Apr 30th 2007 4:43PM
I fully agree with 2,3,5 that is incredibly dumb that u pay 1,000$ to proceed a horse that cost 10,000, so if u want to be a enviermentelist go buy the @#$! horse
Shelby Apr 30th 2007 4:43PM
I think I would donate money to the retired horses, but like someone mentioned, I would donate whole $1,000 instead of $500. I would not pay for a drink and suvinior cup that is over $50. Even if I had the money for a drink, I would give it all to the animals!! :)
Browser Apr 30th 2007 5:21PM
Everybody that posted on this subject needs a f@#kin drink. All of you, pull the money together and share it. Then you won't care when the homeless person takes the money and buys drugs or when the "useless" horse is taken out back and shot. People need to learn that unless you have something to say that is unique and spelled correctly don't say anything at all. I disagree with numbers 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10. Get a life.
blastbball2 Apr 30th 2007 5:23PM
im only 12 but i wouldnt mind showing off that 2 my friends.2 bad i only get $2 a week 4 chores:(
Kathriona Apr 30th 2007 5:52PM
Whoever said that the horses need to be made into "glue and horse kabobs" is an inhumane idiot. For God's sake they're living, breathing creatures with feelings~! You all need to grow up and understand that Humans aren't the only intelligent creatures on earth with feelings. Until then, I just wonder...would you like it if someone took you away from your home, killed you,and made you into "glue and kabobs" all because you were no longer athletically capable? I doubt you'd like it at all. That's exactly how the poor horse would feel.
Yavin Apr 30th 2007 6:30PM
Hi, I'm number 13. I see all of you numbers being angry at each other, so let me set things straight. horses are really important, sure; and the homeless guy is potentially help-able. Yet, no one has mentioned that the drink is, well, a !@mn drink, and both helping the horses directly and aiding a homeless person are important, but if the horse is that old ( in some cases) just make some glue, give the bum a suit and after he gets a job give him the remaining $400, and put the drink in a dixi cup because it's a waste of gold.
WorkingClass Apr 30th 2007 7:09PM
ok.
1. the homeless people was just an example, everyone needs to stop focusing on just that.
2. i love animals, but you people need to stop treating them like humans. because... well, they are not.
i have no problem with charity and helping out animals, what i do have a problem with is when its pointless.
I'll go back to what i said before, someone answer this... do these retired horses still make money for their owners through breeding? if so, how come they need charity?
Danny Apr 30th 2007 7:25PM
I think we should cease this sensless arguing!
If you like horses and animals, donate to them.
If you like hobos, get them a motel 6.
But seriously, let everyone have their own opinion
Dan Apr 30th 2007 7:30PM
in response to comment 8,
what do u think the $100 dollars is going to? for BREEDING. and I agree with comment 11 too. everyone needs a drink =)
Dan Apr 30th 2007 7:30PM
^^$1000
hue G. Rection Apr 30th 2007 7:34PM
wow all of you people defending the animals need to stop, look at the world and see that they are just animals they are only intelegent because of us.
also after a horse has run its entire life it can not do anything most horses get horrible problems in their feet my sixth grade core teachers horse's feet were so infected she had to put it to sleep so you minus well kill it(killing horses isnt as bad these days because they dont even feel it.....what do you think they do to prisoners) and turn it into soap or a horse buger
i beleive that killing horses in cruel ways like slitting their throats and letting them bleed to death or other sick things is wrong and we should use it like the indians did instead of wasting the whole horse
ps # 15 is crazy
irishbullet Apr 30th 2007 7:46PM
Ok, great idea, send all of those thousands of dollars and make a new factory. You with me? Ok now we take this new factory and make *surprise* Glue! Now the best part, get all these homeless people that you all care about and give them a job in the factory. That way everyone wins. The money goes somewhere worthwhile, your precious horses won't die because none of the bums want to work (maybe that's why they are bums), and everyone can stop caring about the bums because you'll realize that most of them just choose not to work and they could help themsleves. Oh and after that you could always turn it into a chinese factory (1st one ever, I mean who wouldn't want microwaveable chinese at your super market) to take care of all these stray cats and dogs that seem to be everywhere. I should be president. And last, those better be some darn good drinks for 1,000 dollars.