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They're Off! Luncheon

Location:
Galt House East Grand Ballroom

Event Date:
04/16/2010

Time:
11:30 AM Reception, Doors open at 11:15 AM

Tickets:
$608 for table of 8 or $76 each. (Limited Availability)

Event Chair:
Harry Dennery

Sponsored By:
Norton Healthcare

Contributing Sponsors:
Business First

Links:
Silver Horseshoe Award Recipients
History
Past Speakers

Legendary basketball player Julius Erving will be the guest speaker for the 54th annual They're Off! Luncheon on Friday, April 16. Erving, popularly known as "Dr. J," will address more than 2,000 Festival supporters and patrons in attendance for this grand community tradition, which begins at 11:30 a.m. in the Grand Ballroom of the Galt House East Hotel, site of the festive event since 1974.

First held in 1957, the second year of the Derby Festival, the They're Off! Luncheon serves as the time-honored kickoff to each year's Festival. Erving joins Dick Vitale, Terry Bradshaw, Bill Walton, Greg Gumbel, Magic Johnson, Larry King, Bob Costas, Cawood Ledford, Phil Simms and Howard Cosell in a long list of luminaries who have entertained They're Off! Luncheon audiences for the past 53 years.

Erving, a member of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, was the dominant player of his era, an innovator who changed the way the game was played. Dr. J won three championships, four Most Valuable Player Awards and three scoring titles while playing with the ABA's Virginia Squires and New York Nets and the NBA's Philadelphia 76ers. He is the fifth-highest scorer in professional basketball history, with 30,026 points (NBA and ABA combined). Erving was named to the NBA's 50th Anniversary All-Time team and in 1993 was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame.

Erving is now part of a long list of sports figures, broadcasters, legends and motivators who have entertained They're Off! Luncheon audiences for more than 50 years. Other past Luncheon speakers have included James Earl Jones, Bill Walton, Magic Johnson, Rick Pitino, Denny Crum, Hank Aaron, Bob Costas, George Plimpton, Dan Jansen, Al McGuire, Phil Simms, Mike Ditka and Bettina Gregory.

Also at the luncheon is the presentation of the Silver Horseshoe Award, given annually to a group or individual who has made significant contributions to the Thoroughbred racing industry/service to the community.

The 2010 Silver Horseshoe recipient is the Kentucky Derby Museum, which suffered devastating flooding in August of 2009. The award was accepted by Lynn Ashton, Executive Director of the museum. The Kentucky Derby Festival Foundation - the Derby Festival's charitable arm - presented a check for $1,000 to the museum.

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