The mane attraction: World beard champion celebrates birthday at Kentucky Derby

With a plastic horse on his head and a beard to his waist, you can easily find an internationally recognized beard champion walking around the 2025 Kentucky Derby’s Paddock.

Garey Faulkner, a roofer from Cincinnati, has been coming to the Derby for a decade. He claimed third place at the 2019 World Beard and Mustache Championship held in Belgium, and has multiple other national titles.

Despite having a more-than 12-inch-long green beard, that wasn’t Faulkner’s most intriguing accessory Saturday. Faulkner makes his own Derby hat every year — and they’re real head turners.

On Saturday, he wore top hat adorned with a large, plastic horse holding a rose in its mouth, surrounded by cardinals with a bugle on the rear.

But don’t be fooled by the extravagance. He said the hat wasn’t expensive to make — just time-consuming.

“I’m a last-minute guy. I did it all three days before, and I changed things — add to it, take stuff off, make it different,” Faulkner said.

This year, he convinced his wife, Miranda, to make her own hat, too. She said this year’s hat is the biggest Faulkner has ever made.

So what keeps the couple coming back to the Derby after 10 years? It’s a way to meet people.

Plus, what better way to celebrate your birthday than at the Kentucky Derby? Faulkner was born May 6, so the Derby, on the first Saturday in May, is perfectly timed for birthday fun.

“I’m not a horse expert or better — don’t ask me for horse betting advice. I’m here because we love the atmosphere, and just meeting people,” Faulkner said.

“It’s a new Derby every year. I enjoy my life to the fullest … I always try to come to Derby because I’m a people person, so I love meeting people from around the world.”

Faulkner may look familiar to football fans, too. He frequently appears in fan shots at Cincinnati Bengals games, with his beard appropriately dyed orange and black.

This story was originally published May 3, 2025 at 2:05 PM.

Kendall Staton

Lexington Herald-Leader

Kendall Staton is the City/County Reporter for the Lexington Herald-Leader. She also helps with general news coverage, and previously covered UK HealthCare. She worked as the regional editor of three community newspapers in Central Kentucky before joining the Herald-Leader. She is a Greenup County native and 2023 University of Kentucky graduate. She first joined the Herald-Leader in April 2024. Support my work with a digital subscription