One of the more interesting things raced during the Kentucky Derby Festival is beds. That’s right beds. Well sort of. These are more custom-made, four wheel carts with a push bar and optional steering that happens to hold a regular sized bed mattress. A team of five: a driver (frequently just a passenger) and four pushers race the bed around a figure-eight track on the floor of Broadbent Arena at the Kentucky Exposition Center.

This year’s event consisted of 43 entries in two divisions with 12 in the Champions division and a winner crowned in each division. The event starts with the beds being decorated like parade floats where winners are also selected in style categories: Best Decorated (best adherence to the theme) and Most Entertaining.  A fifth category is awarded to the bed that takes out the most traffic cones along the course, known as the “Cone Eater” award. The theme for 2017 was “Louisville on the Move”.

The team from Texas Roadhouse reclaimed their title in the Champions division over Bluegrass Indoor Karting.

The team from Rubbie’s Southside Grill & Bar, a frequent winner in the “Most Entertaining” category decorated their entry with a cancer awareness theme with team members wearing “No butts about it. Cancer Sucks” shirts.

One of the more entertaining points of the night came at the expense of The Fillies, Inc.‘s race entry which lost one of it’s four wheels at the start of the race causing sparks to fly as the bed frame scraped along the floor. The team had to push the bed carrying the 2016 Kentucky Derby Queen, Madison Orman around the track and may have set a track record for the slowest entry. During the final stretch someone dressed as “Popeye the Sailor Man” jumped in and replaced the pusher on the busted wheel side to complete the race to the crowd’s delight. The Fillies, Inc. is an organization of women that helps support the Kentucky Derby Festival and manages the “Royal Court” program.

Cone Eating 101

Select photos from the event.