“In the world of sports,” promises the official website for the Kentucky Derby, “there is not a more moving moment than when the horses step onto the track for the Kentucky Derby post parade and the band strikes up ‘My Old Kentucky Home’ and 160,000+ people sing along.”
The tradition of playing the song on Derby Day dates back until at least 1921, although it’s not clear when it became part of the parade of horses and jockeys at the start of the race at Churchill Downs.
“Since 1936, with only a few exceptions, the song has been performed by the University of Louisville Marching Band as the horses make their way from the paddock to the starting gate,” the Derby’s official history explains.