Board Games at the Derby

Board games at the Kentucky Derby? Certainly -- horse racing has been a popular theme for game designers since at least the 1890s.

Graphic from Broderbund's ClickArt collection.

This year's Derby will be held on May 6, with television coverage provided by ABC beginning at 4:30 p.m. Eastern U.S. time. If you want a little warm-up action in the comfort of your own home, here's a sampling of the games horse racing fans have been able to enjoy through the years.

Discuss horse racing board games on the Board Games Forum. More Kentucky Derby Resources from About.com Derby Festival 2000 Handicapping the Derby Louisville: Derby City! Mint Juleps Top Derby Prospects Visiting Louisville

Grand National - A Sweepstakes Game of Chance
board game image
Featuring a copyright date of 1937, the box proclaims the game to be "complete with game * board * money * dice * horses * counters" and inside it indeed comes with all those parts. There are four horses -- red, blue, green and yellow -- in this game, which was released by Whitman Publishing Co.

Kentucky Derby Racing Game
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This game, which was produced for decades with a copyright of 1938 (so not every game with this title was manufactured in 1938), featured five horses and a spinning wheel, all built into the box itself. The horses -- in one edition, Whirlaway, Citation, Twenty Grand, Seabiscuit and Gallant Fox (the names changed through the years) -- slide in a straight line from the start to the finish. Earlier games had metal horses; they were replaced by plastic in later versions. Also made by Whitman Publishing Co. and Rex Manufacturing Co.

Graphic from Broderbund's ClickArt collection.

Horse Racing Game
In 1940, Milton Bradley released this game, which also was played inside the box. (The inside of the bottom piece of the box was the game board.) Included with the game were a spinner and four chips. Also in 1940, Milton Bradley turned out a game called Hialeah Horse Racing Game, for which we have an image available.

Kentucky Derby Racing Game
Whitman Publishing Co. from Racine, Wisconsin, turned out a new version of the 1938 game in 1961 -- this one has seven horses. The game is still played on the inside of the box, with a spinner controlling the outcome. Instead of racing horizontally across the box, the horses move diagonally -- the race can be just a little bit longer that way.

Win Place & Show
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3M published this board game in 1966 with the imprint "A 3M Sports Game." It's played on a board that's about three feet long, depicting an oval race track.

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