ATTLEBORO - When Queen Elizabeth leaves the Kentucky Derby on Saturday, she'll leave with a little piece of Attleboro.

New England Sterling, an Attleboro jewelry firm, was commissioned to craft a commemorative mint julep cup made of silver and gold that will be presented to the queen as a memento of her visit to Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky., site of the famous thoroughbred race.

It's the first time the queen has attended "the run for the roses," although she has visited Kentucky four times, according to information available on the Churchill Downs Web site.

Her visit to the United States started Thursday in Virginia to commemorate the 400th anniversary of the founding of Jamestown, the first successful English colony in the Americas.

The Queen's cup, engraved with her name and crowns, will be similar to special commemorative mint julep cups commissioned by Brown-Foreman Corp., maker of Woodford Reserve, the official bourbon of the derby. The cup project was spearheaded by Tim Jacobs, project engineer of New England Sterling's trophy division.

The commemorative cups, also made by New England Sterling, are sold for $1,000 each to raise money for Thoroughbred Charities of America, a group that aids retired horses and disabled jockeys.

They are made of sterling silver, are plated with 24 karat gold and come with a sterling silver sipping straw.

Fifty of the commemoratives were made last year by New England Sterling.

This year 132 will be produced, one each to honor the 132 previous Kentucky Derby winners, according to the Brown-Foreman Web site.

Special cups will be produced for the 11 Triple Crown winners, as well as the first derby winner, Aristides, who won in 1875, and the latest winner, Barbaro, who took last year's race.

The special cups will be auctioned by Christie's, an art auctioneer in England, to raise additional cash for the horse and jockey charity.

The other 119 cups will be sold online at woodfordreserve.com.

Cups honoring the first and last derby winners will include a diamond, while cups honoring Triple Crown winners will have three rubies.

New England Sterling also makes the Kentucky Derby Trophy. President Marc Forbes delivered the trophy on April 3, according to a news report on the Churchill Downs Web site.

Forbes said in that report the solid gold trophy is "priceless."

"New England Sterling creates a wide variety of wonderful pieces each year, but the winner's trophy for the Kentucky Derby clearly remains our most special item," he said. "It's value is quite literally priceless.

"The Kentucky Derby has long been one of the world's great sports events and New England Sterling is proud to be a part of a rich tradition now in its 133rd consecutive year."

The 14 karat gold trophy, which is handmade every year, is 22 inches tall, has a jade base and weighs almost four pounds.

GEORGE W. RHODES can be reached at 508-236-0432 or at grhodes@thesunchronicle.com.