$1,000 Mint Julep Charity Program honors Kentucky-France connection

Churchill Downs and Woodford Reserve unveiled the cups for the annual $1,000 Mint Julep Charity Program.

The Woodford Reserve $1,000 Mint Julep Charity Program is one of the Kentucky Derby’s most distinctive annual traditions.

This year honors the connections between Kentucky and France.

A total of 148 cups, honoring Derby 148, will be available for purchase.

The handmade cups feature red rubies in the shape of a horseshoe.

One side of the cup is engraved with a thoroughbred, representing Versailles, Kentucky, where Woodford Reserve Distillery is located and where many of the world’s best thoroughbreds are bred and raised.

The other side includes a nod to Versailles, France.

Proceeds will benefit Old Friends Farm, where famous thoroughbreds, including past Derby winners, are sent to retire peacefully.