After the call to post, the thunder of the pack, the roar of the crowd and the jubilance of the winner's circle, eventually comes a quiet moment.
"You can see how crispy it is," Ruth Babcock quips quietly as she places a single, delicate rose in between her hands and gives it a slight press. The rose cooperates, sounding especially crispy in Babcock's quiet store on Main Street.
The Run for the Roses culminates in just that: more than 400 roses are bestowed upon the winner in the moments following the most exciting two minutes in sports. Then what happens?
One of the most-beautiful celebrations in sports!!! But what happens to the garland AFTER the race?
— Maggie Davis (@MaggieDavisTV) May 3, 2025
My story with @NickelLaz coming up this hour on @LEX18News at the Derby 🌹 pic.twitter.com/sl6oOQAML9
In recent years, those stunning garlands have been taken off the winner, packed up, and promptly sent to Babcock and her team, located in the heart of horse country: downtown Lexington.
"This is Carol Lynn Originals and Events," Babcock tells LEX 18's Maggie Davis in the week leading up to Kentucky Derby 151. "This has been in my family for 71 years."
She's been drying, hanging, pressing and preserving flowers for decades, so comparatively speaking, her new niche in the horse racing industry has only just begun. And yet inside her store (specifically, inside any one of her many freezers), you'll find celebratory blankets from the Tampa Bay Derby, the Pennsylvania Derby and yes, even the Kentucky Derby.
"The Derby blanket is by far the premium - as it should be," Babcock says as she shows off the differences in prep-race blankets compared to the one given out on the first Saturday in May.
End-to-end, the garland is about ten feet long and weighs around 40 pounds. Every inch of it has been meticulously cared for and now, thanks to Babcock and her team of Kentuckians, preserved for all eternity.
Watch our full story, which aired during our exclusive coverage of this year's Kentucky Derby, to learn more about Babcock and her process, as well as see the final result. Plus, what's it like for Babcock, who grew up watching the Run for the Roses, to now become part of the historic occasion?
"How can you not get goose bumps?"
