"Run for the Roses" is a song written and recorded by singer/songwriter Dan Fogelberg in 1980.
The song has since been used as an unofficial theme for the Kentucky Derby.
Released as a single from the album The Innocent Age the following year, it peaked at number 18 on the Billboard Hot 100.
[1] The song was commissioned by ABC for its telecast of the 106th running of the Derby in 1980, and premiered on the network's Derby preview special the night before.
[3] The performance was broadcast from the Red Barn, the student activities building at the University of Louisville.