Board games at the Kentucky Derby? Certainly -- horse racing has been a popular theme for game designers since at least the 1890s.
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| Graphic from Broderbund's ClickArt collection. |
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 |
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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.
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| Graphic from Broderbund's ClickArt collection. |
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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