KYDERBY/2014

Kentucky Derby 2014 was the first official occurrence of the in-game racing event based on an annual real-life horse race with the same name. Hosted by Aimster, now a former moderator, it was the first ever instance of a moderator-held event to include an exclusive item as its reward (i.e. the elusive Mint Julep).

Preparation

Aimster posted a forum thread on February 5, 2014, asking the playerbase for horse items to be donated to a Donation Box located near the starting line in the world KYDERBY. In the thread, Aimster mentioned that she still needed 21 more horses; the plan was to distribute 24 horses to the winners of the KYDERBY race, one every hour for a whole 24 hours. Eligible horse items included:

• Tiny Horsie (added alongside the Fantasy Pack on March 22, 2013)
• Stick Horse (added alongside the Wild West Pack on September 11, 2013)
• Tiny Appaloosa (added alongside the Wild West Pack on September 11, 2013)
• Skeletal Horsie (added as part of Halloween Week on October 28, 2013)

Rose donations were also accepted, referencing how the flower had become synonymous with the real-life event. The Roses were meant to be scattered across the track during each race for players to pick up. Aimster also stated that she would be happy to receive donations consisting of World Locks, Lava Seeds, Grass Seeds, Rose Seeds, and other suitable items.

Racing Contest

A thread was posted by Aimster on May 1, 2014, announcing that she had gathered everything necessary to launch the Kentucky Derby event on May 3. Among the relevant pieces of information she provided in the thread are listed below.

• The first race would start at midnight on Saturday, May 3, according to Growtopian time (seen using the command /time).
• A player may only win one horse during the day. Should they have won, they are to sit out the remainder of the event.
• Players are discouraged from selling their horses once they have won the races.
• Official broadcasts announcing each race would contain the phrase "#SaddleUp!" Select admins of KYDERBY (Ghostego, i20HH, Jairrocket, WARMAKER, and Jakeshore), as well as Aimster herself, would be the official broadcasters of the race.

A second thread posted by Aimster on May 2 revealed that Growtopia's original developers Seth and Hamumu had implemented a mysterious surprise that would be given away during the event. The surprise in question was the Mint Julep, based on a real-life alcoholic beverage commonly associated with the Kentucky Derby. 200 Mint Julep were purportedly given to Aimster at once.

Aimster posted a final thread on May 4, the day after the race, thanking everyone who had helped her bring the Derby to fruition.

Gallery

• A screenshot of Mint Julep's item description, taken by one of the winners of the race. A message showing that KYDERBY admin JakeShore (then a moderator) had just left the world can also be seen.[9]
  A screenshot of Mint Julep's item description, taken by one of the winners of the race. A message showing that KYDERBY admin JakeShore (then a moderator) had just left the world can also be seen.
• Two players—nakana1997 and Liammagoo—were tied for the first place during a race.[10][11]
  Two players—nakana1997 and Liammagoo—were tied for the first place during a race.
• One of the screenshots taken during the Derby[12]
  One of the screenshots taken during the Derby
• One of the screenshots taken during the Derby[13]
  One of the screenshots taken during the Derby

Footages

Link	Poster
https://youtu.be/D6BXhs9HUlI	Edvoid