Across the Board® owner Kim McDaniel will don her hat as she heads to the Kentucky Derby on May 7 with the memory of her late husband on her mind and in her heart. McDaniel’s husband, Ryan, passed away last May after a lengthy battle with cancer and did not live to see the couple’s specially-designed horse racing game become the officially licensed Kentucky Derby/Churchill Downs™ board game.

In February, the St. Louis-based handcrafted wooden board game company received the Kentucky Derby and Churchill Downs license to produce the official game for the event known as the “most exciting 2 minutes in sports.” With his woodworking skills, Ryan had redesigned the company’s original horse racing game to more closely align with the annual “Run for the Roses.”

The journey began in 2008 after Ryan was inspired from playing a game at his mom’s home during an after-dinner party. With their combined creativity, passion and vision, the couple began making games in their garage.

“Ryan had so many ideas and couldn’t wait to create something different,” McDaniel said.  “He was a perfectionist when it came to woodworking and it shows in all of the game designs.”

The couple combined Ryan’s construction background and interest in woodworking with Kim’s experience in marketing and business.

“Then in 2012 we decided to take a leap of faith and moved the business from our home to a workshop in Crestwood, Missouri,” McDaniel said. “It was just the two of us and we had big hopes and dreams for our family.”

But then tragedy struck.

Ryan was diagnosed with colon cancer and their plans to pursue licensing of their various games were abandoned. Kim also was forced to take a full-time job. Friends and family helped keep the company running while McDaniel tended to her job and family and took care of her husband.

Unfortunately, after battling colon cancer for 20 months, Ryan passed away in May 2015 at the age of 44. He left behind his wife and their three young children: Ayden, 12; Mallory, 10; and Jake, 4. McDaniel is honoring Ryan’s legacy as she continues the company’s mission.

In January, Kim pitched the game to Kentucky Derby and Churchill Downs officials and was granted a license.

“To receive the license is so bittersweet,” McDaniel said. “This is the result of Ryan’s talent and hard work and we wish he was here to see it. It’s exciting for our entire family. And I love that his legacy lives on in our children and in the business we built.”

The game board is a maple wood veneer playing surface built for longevity. A computerized router cuts out the wood frames for all the company’s board games. McDaniel and her five employees hand-sand every game, personally insert the metal eyelets into each hole and assemble all the game pieces. The games are finished with an environmentally friendly water-based clear acrylic.

All horse racing games include a deck of cards, pair of dice and 11 numbered horses. The Kentucky Derby game board is approximately 15 ½ inches x 28 inches x ¾ inches and weighs nearly 8 pounds.

Additionally, Ryan’s initials – RMM – will be placed on the front of the packaging for the official Kentucky Derby game as a tribute to him. It is available now, just in time for the May 7, 2016, “Run for the Roses” in Louisville, Kentucky.  The cost of each officially licensed Kentucky Derby horse racing game is $110.

The Kentucky Derby and all other Across the Board games are available for purchase at www.acrosstheboardgame.com.

The Kentucky Derby game also is available at www.kentuckyderby.com, www.fanatics.com, www.fansedge.com, www.foxsports.com, www.cbssports.com. Additionally, it will be sold in the Churchill Downs gift shop, the Kentucky Derby Museum gift shop and the Von Maur store in Louisville, Kentucky.