Friday January 23, 2026
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Three Louisville Cardinals football players had their dreams come true yesterday as they were picked in the first round of the NFL draft. This year marks the first year that three Cardinals were picked in the first round of the draft and the first time that any cardinal was picked in the first round since 2009 when Eric Wood was picked 28th by the Buffalo Bills.
Safety Calvin Pryor was the first to make it to the big leagues when he was picked 18th by the New York Jets, making him the third highest Louisville draft pick since 1964. Next to go, as the 26th overall pick, was defensive end Marcus Smith, going to the Philadelphia Eagles. Last to be called up in the first round was quarterback Teddy Bridgewater, picked 32nd by the Minnesota Vikings.
The 2014 NFL draft continues tonight through Saturday, with the Houston Texans getting the first pick of round two.
The annual running of the Oaks and Kentucky Derby will take place this Friday and Saturday, May 2nd and 3rd. Throughout the course of the races, hundreds of thousands will enjoy the races and festivities from under the twin spires of Churchill Downs. Many others, however, will choose to get in on the action from the comfort of their own home or at a Derby party. Celebrating the event at home is a great way to enjoy the many races throughout the day: it is less stressful, less crowded, and cheaper.
Once you have decided to throw a Derby party at your home, the next step is to plan a fun party. There are a number of directions in which you can take your Derby party. Check out some of the theme ideas below from a variety of sources, including the Official Kentucky Derby website and Better Homes and Garden:
- For a more Family Friendly Experience, have a Under-Horse Party
- Decorations: decorate in the colors of the under-dog horse
- Attire: casual – for kids (or adults), buy cotton T-shirts and fabric paint so the kids can make their own jerseys
- Food: potluck, grilled food, horse-shaped cookies for kids to decorate
- Drinks: mint juleps (for virgin mint juleps – substitute ginger ale for bourbon)
- Games: Corn hole, horse shoes, derby pool (put the horse numbers into a hat and have your guests draw a number, a prize or an extra drink to the winner), water balloons, pin-the-tail-on-the-race horse
- For a more informal party, have an Infield Party
- Decorations: Outdoors, use plastic horse figurines or plastic trophy cups for place markers, use trophy cups as cocktail glasses, pretty much anything goes here
- Attire: casual
- Food: grilled food, potluck, burgoo
- Drinks: beer and mint juleps
- Games: corn hole, horseshoes, three-legged races, provide materials (e.g. duct tape and plastic shopping bags) for a create your own hat contest, beer pong, slip-n-slides, derby pool
LMPD officials have released their safety plans for the Oaks and Derby Day events. LMPD representatives say that they will be working in conjunction with local and federal groups to ensure that Louisvillians and visitors remain safe during the city’s Kentucky Derby Festival events, at Oaks and Derby at Churchill Downs and throughout Louisville as hundreds of thousands gallop into town to watch the race live or at Derby parties.
In addition to increased police patrols, LMPD will be coordinating sobriety checkpoints and modified traffic patterns to keep the roadways safe and flowing efficiently. For a list of street closures and no-parking areas during the Pegasus Parade, Kentucky Oaks and Kentucky Derby, visit the LMPD Kentucky Derby Festival Information page. To further keep roadways safe during all of the racing celebrations, Miller Lite is sponsoring free rides on TARC buses from 6 PM Friday night until 1AM for those needing a designated driver.
Officials will also be making use of cameras along the parade route to monitor the crowd. Additionally, LMPD is advising those in attendance “if you see something, say something.”
If you plan on heading to Churchill Downs for the Kentucky Oaks or Kentucky Derby, you should be aware of what you can and cannot take into the venue. Lists of permitted and prohibited items are available on the Kentucky Derby website. A list of permitted and prohibited items is also available on Official Churchill Downs Partner Derby Experiences website, although visitors should be aware that there are some conflicts between the two lists – specifically, on the rules regarding coolers. Louisville Dispatch staff reached out to the Kentucky Derby communications office and confirmed that the Derby Experiences website has an outdated list that that visitors should adhere to the list below, directly from the Kentucky Derby site: Continue reading
Live racing returns to Churchill Downs this Saturday, April 26. Head out to get in the spirint ahead of Derby! Opening day features, of course, live horse racing, live entertainment from The Louisville Crashers and the unveiling of the world’s largest 4K display from Panasonic. Get tickets for opening day here.
4:00 p.m. – 11:30 p.m.
Kentucky Derby week kicks off with style at Opening Night. Witness the premier of the Mega Board and a brand new horse racing experienceGeneral Admission: $10
Gates open at 4:30 p.m. First post is at 6:00 p.m.
Must be 18+ to enter (or accompanied by a responsible adult)
21+ to drink. Always drink responsibly.)Entertainment will include:
Gate 10 – DJ From 5:00-7:00
Gate 17 – DJ from 5:00-7:00
Mill 4 & 6 – DJ from 8:00-10:00
On Plaza Main Stage – The Louisville CrashersFashion Suggestions:
Females: Party/cocktail dresses and headwear. The signature accessory for this event is an evening headpiece a la fascinator, feathers, etc. We want ladies to have fun in sporting a “nighttime Derby look!”Men: Sharp pants/shirt (tie optional); headwear recommended as well!
The NCAA basketball tournament is in full swing and, as usual, Kentucky has a case of March Madness!
In the Midwest corner of the bracket, our home team Lousville Cardinals entered the tournament at 4th seed and beat Manhattan to move into the next round where they put down St. Louis. Meanwhile, the number 8 Big Blue UK Wildcats from just down I-64 beat Kansas State and then Wichita State.
Next stop: Indianapolis, where the ‘Cats and Cards will duke it out in Sweet 16 action this Friday, March 28 at 9:45PM. CBS will carry this Bluegrass State battle so local viewers should be able to watch the game on WLKY 32. The winner of this game will advance to take on either second seed Michigan or number 11 Tennessee.
Despite being U of L’s home, Louisville often seems like Lexington Light given the huge Big Blue Nation presence. As the blue and red flags indicate, Derby City can be “a house divided” when the Cards and Cats face off.
Who do you want to see win Friday night's game?
- University of Louisville Cardinals (54%, 7 Votes)
- University of Kentucky Wildcats (46%, 6 Votes)
Total Voters: 13
Loading ...Vote for your favorite above and tell us who you picked and why in the comments below and, if your pick doesn’t pay off, whether you will root for the other team in the Elite Eight round.
