Off To The Races - The Canadian Derby

This is a sponsored post.

It’s the biggest event in Western Canadian racing—the thrilling afternoon where the past and present collide and the sport of kings gets the full attention it deserves. It’s a day of glamour and action, filled with history and tradition. It’s the Canadian Derby and this is how it began.

Robert James Speer was an Ontario-born racing fan who moved to Manitoba in 1900 when he was 18. Over the subsequent decades he built several racetracks across Western Canada, including Winnipeg’s Polo Park, which opened in 1925. Five years later, Polo Park inaugurated the Manitoba Stakes—an annual race limited to Manitoba-bred horses. Six years later, the race was renamed the Manitoba Derby and opened up to all three year-old Canadian thoroughbreds.

It stayed that way for another five years before finally officially becoming the Canadian Derby. From 1941 to 1956, the race drew the top competitors from across the country to Winnipeg, including legendary Canadian racehorses Budpath (who won in 1941) and Chain Reaction (who won in 1953).

Following the closing of Polo Park, the Canadian Derby moved to Edmonton’s Northlands Park, where it has been run annually for nearly six decades, growing in importance and prestige throughout the years.

Now when I was invited to take part in the 88th running of the Canadian Derby this Saturday August 19th, I literally squealed with delight. Watching gorgeous horses race. Check. Eating awesome food. Check. Drinking alcoholic beverages. Check. Getting my husband to dress up. Check. Having a date during the *gasp* day. Check. Wearing a pretty dress. Check. Wearing an awesome hat. Check. Which nicely segues into the rest of this post. Yep I made a hat for the occasion.

First I went to Value Village’s 50% off sale and bought a dress and hat. Then I took the belt off my dress to the Michael’s and the Dollartree and got some flowers and assorted things that matched. I ended up not using the feathers shown in the photo below. Then I got a pair of scissors, a glue gun, and some wire together.

Next I glued all the butterflies to the stems so they wouldn’t fall off. 

Then I cut all the flowers off the bouquets and glued them to their bases.

Then I secured the butterfly cluster by bending the wire and feeding it though the hat band. I then tied it with the wire and attached it with the wore to my hat. Then I glued the hat band to the hat.

Then I just started in the middle where I secured the butterflies and worked outwards on each side gluing flowers and leaves to the hat. To keep them from falling off, I glued various petals to the hat.

And that’s it. I’m derby ready!

I suck at crafting so if I can do this so can you! To see my full outfit, head to the races Saturday! Grab your tickets here.

So, would you try this? Let me know in the comments below.

This is a sponsored post, however all opinions are my own.