Bluegrass Stockyards will host the third annual Blue Jeans, Boots and Bulls Derby Eve Charity event to benefit Old Friends, the Thoroughbred retirement organization announced Tuesday. The fundraiser, hosted by the Barn Door Grill & Bar, is scheduled for Friday, May 2 from 5:30-11:30 p.m.
The event will support multiple charitable organizations, including Old Friends, The University of Kentucky Children’s Hospital Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU), and Timbers Grateful Companions.
Attendees can participate in a silent auction, Derby horse calcutta, and live auction while enjoying live music and a buffet dinner. The event is organized in partnership with the Coaches for Kids Foundation.
“Blue Jeans, Boots and Bulls has rapidly become a great Derby Eve tradition,” said Old Friends President and CEO John Nicholson. “It’s a good blend celebrating all the splendor of the Derby with having a truly fun down home party. Old Friends is delighted to be a part of the fun and very grateful for being one of the beneficiaries.”
The Derby Eve event has quickly established itself as a popular alternative to more formal Kentucky Derby weekend festivities, offering racing enthusiasts a casual atmosphere to celebrate while supporting equine retirement and other charitable causes.
Old Friends, founded in 2003, provides dignified retirement for Thoroughbreds whose racing and breeding careers have ended. The Georgetown, Kentucky-based organization has become one of the industry’s most prominent aftercare facilities, caring for over 200 retired racehorses across its multiple locations.
