why is derby day black and white?
Dating back to 1910 Royal Ascot, King Edward VII had recently passed and racegoers wore black to mourn his death. Women wore white flowers or white pearls as the only decorating feature of their outfits, so the day was dubbed “Black Ascot”.
The Earl of Derby’s traditional racing colours (those worn by the jockey) were black with a white cap. However, in 1924, that changed. Lord Derby’s horse “Sansovino” was set to run in the Derby. Jockey, Tommy Weston was getting changed to ride in Lord Derby’s colours when he got part of the white scarf caught around the black button on his jacket making it look like he had one white button. The horse won and the Derby and Lord Derby’s silks have unofficially carried one white button ever since. Black-and-white. Coincidence?