With this Saturday set to mark the milestone 150th running of the Kentucky Derby at Louisville’s storied Churchill Downs Racetrack, both longtime partners and new sponsors are harnessing this prime opportunity to capture audiences’ attention with singular experiences and brand activations surrounding America’s most-watched horse race. 

Kentucky-based bourbon distiller Woodford Reserve, the Derby’s Presenting Sponsor and a partner since 1999, has unveiled a limited-edition commemorative bottle to honor the landmark anniversary. With a label featuring Kentucky native Wylie Cahill’s painting “Adorned in Roses”––depicting a red rose-covered thoroughbred against a multi-colored rose background––the 2024 special edition, designed to dazzle fans of the whiskey and the race alike, captures the essence of the event’s unrivaled heritage. The homegrown bourbon titan will also play host at a new luxury club flanking the newly renovated, $200M paddock: For the first time ever, the Woodford Reserve Paddock Club will offer guests access to the paddock circling ring via an exclusive underground tunnel.

Not to be outdone, Swiss watchmaker Longines––Official Partner, Timekeeper, and Watch of the race since 2011––debuted a new Mini DolceVita watch model to celebrate the monumental occasion, limited to 150 pieces. Epitomizing elegance and precision––two hallmarks of the “Run for the Roses”––each watch is engraved with the Derby’s anniversary logo, along with a “One of 150” inscription. The venerated luxury brand, whose rarefied ties to the equestrian world date back to the 19th century, also partners with the Breeders’ Cup and serves as title sponsor of the Longines Global Champions Tour, a worldwide show-jumping competition. 

Meanwhile, California winery Kendall-Jackson, the Preferred Wine of the Kentucky Derby and Churchill Downs since 2021, will host this year’s largest West Coast Derby watch party at its sprawling estate in Santa Rosa, CA––a ticketed, all-day affair complete with live entertainment, Southern cuisine, and plenty of its popular vintages, with all proceeds benefiting local nonprofit Farm to Pantry.

To memorialize this year’s momentous event, the winemaker has released two limited-edition wines nationwide––a 2022 Mendocino County Chardonnay and 2021 Sonoma County Cabernet Sauvignon––as well as an online-only, three-vintage vertical of Kentucky Derby Cabernet Sauvignon, showcasing the 2019, 2020, and 2021 vintages in a commemorative box. Kendall-Jackson also made headlines last month with the April 4th announcement of its new multiyear deal as the Official Wine of the NBA, the league’s first-ever wine partnership.

In new Derby sponsor news, The Unwell Network––a Gen Z-focused content production company led by influencers Alex Cooper and Alix Earle––has partnered with Churchill Downs to host an exclusive infield activation that will include a live interview between the two podcasters, whose combined social following exceeds 15M, in an effort to engage younger, more digitally driven Derby fans. Other infield activations aimed at a more youthful Derby demographic include an Old Forester bar with DJ entertainment, a White Claw Derby-inspired art installation and photo opportunity, a Red Bull kombi bar experience, and a Q Mixers cocktail club. 

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