Fans at Churchill Downs this week will be able to purchase product bearing the name and racing silks of their favorite horse under a program created by the track and CAA Sports Licensing. CAA signed three licensees which will be offering product during Kentucky Derby week: 47 Brand (headwear), Ahead (T-shirt), and WinCraft (coozies, pins, buttons, lanyards, decals). The products, which will also be available on the official Kentucky Derby online store, feature the name of the horse, along with the color schemes and patterns taken directly from the silks that will be worn by the jockey for each horse, as well as the Kentucky Derby logo. Churchill Downs and CAA worked together to coordinate a program whereby the ownership groups of the horses running in the Derby have granted rights for CAA to allow certain licenses to produce such horse-specific product. Meanwhile, private jet company Sentient Jet announced yesterday that it was sponsoring Combatant, who will be running out of the 20 slot, in part to build awareness for Homes For Our Troops, a nonprofit organization that builds homes for injured veterans.
AND THEY'RE OFF: Data from Fanatics shows that Kentucky Derby merchandise sales are up 25% since the start of the year compared to the same timeframe in '17. Sales also are up 53% over the past two weeks compared to '17. Top-selling products include an official 12 ounce Mint Julep Glass, a 25-pack, 10 ounce frosted cup set and a men's Heathered Gray Kentucky Derby logo T-shirt. Top-selling markets are N.Y., Chicago and Atlanta.
