I don't know, but I wouldn't be at all surprised to find out it's changed many times over the years. The roses bred for the florist trade are often different from those sold in nurseries and garden centers for home use in the landscape, and the roses used in the florist trade don't necessarily make good garden roses (even though I suspect the roses used in the florist trade are largely hybrid teas or floribundas).

Well thanks anyway for your help

umm

Here is a link that might be useful: Kentucky Derby

"The Garland of Roses that cloak the winning Derby horse hold an interesting history. Roses first appeared on the radar when they were presented to all the ladies attending a glamorous Louisville Derby party, held by a New York socialite and attended by the President of Churchill Downs, Colonel Lewis Clark. The roses were such a phenomenon that Clark adopted the rose as the raceÂs official flower. The rose garland first appeared at the Derby in the 1896 when the winner received a floral arrangement of pink and white roses. In 1904, the red rose was chosen as the official flower of the Kentucky Derby.

Each year, a garland of more than 400 red roses is sewn into a green satin backing with the seal of the Commonwealth on one side and the twin spires and number of the running on the other end of the garland. Each garland is also adorned with a "Crown" of roses, ribbon and green fern. The "Crown," is a single rose pointing upward in the center of the garland, to symbolize the struggle and heart necessary to reach the winners circle."

The above was copied from a Derby website. While it doesn't list the name of the rose, I do know the Kroger Company sponsers, supplies the roses, and makes the blanket of roses placed over the neck of the winner. There is also a rose named "Kentucky Derby which is a dark red rose. Whether or not this is the actual name of the rose used making the blacket, I don't know.

Futher investigation on a Kroger website gave me this information.
"The garland is made entirely of Freedom roses, a variety that was selected for its rich red color, bloom size, stem length and foliage. Dozens of floral employees work sorting through thousands of roses to select only the best for presentation."

So, it seems the red rose is "Freedom", a red florist rose introduced in Germany by Rosen-Tantau/Tantau Roses in 2004.
It appears the variety used has changed over the years as better red roses become available.

Many things can be found doing a Google search, then sorting through all the links provided. That's how I came up with this info.

Here is a link that might be useful: Kentucky Derby rose info regarding Kroger

The Freedom rose... that's interesting. Thanks for the history lesson. I think that rose still is sold through catalogs today. Isn't it perhaps a J&P rose?

There are a number of freedom roses, a yellow hybrid tea, a floribunda often sold as a hedge rose, a couple of climbers and a hybrid perpetual. The one used in the Derby rose blanket is a florist rose by Tantau from Germany. Although florist roses are seldom offered as a garden rose, there are two sources, for the red one used at the Derby, listed on Helpmefind. Neither are J&P.

Here is a link that might be useful: various Freedom rose varieties listed on Helpmefind

Eurodesert sells the red rose "Freedom".

Here is a link that might be useful: Freedom @ helpmefind

I tried the red rose Kentucky Derby many years ago and discarded it. As I recall, it was medium red, not fragrant and not vigorous and overall did not measure up to the exacting standards I had at the time.

You guys soooo ROCK!!! I think I saw a freedom rose at the local Home Depot on Sunday morning. I'm going to have to go back there and see. BTW, I knew it wasn't a "Kentucky Derby" rose because they don't look anything alike. Thank you, Thank you, Thank you! You guys made me break out my "happy dance" when I read this!!!