Americans don wacky hats to greet Queen at races

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But the Queen can't have failed to notice the extravagant head-gear of many Americans who greeted her at the Kentucky Derby.

Fans of the monarch and the racing donned extraordinary hats in a bid to emulate the British style.

Among some of the most bizarre outfits were a straw boater with mounted horse on top and a roof-tip hat, equipped with two turrets.

More follows...

Kentucky Derby: An array of hats

Locals in Louiseville, Kentucky, were clearly looking forward to catching a glimpse of the monarch, who attended her first Kentucky Derby today.

"Queen Elizabeth is certainly the most prestigious guest we've entertained in the modern-day history of the Kentucky Derby," track President Steve Sexton said.

• Gallery: More pictures of the Queen's tour here

The Derby is the first leg of thoroughbred racing's Triple Crown.

Although it is a first for the queen, an avid horse enthusiast, it would not be a first for British royalty: Princess Margaret, the queen's sister, attended the race in 1974.

The chance of seeing a royal wave was enough to spur Kevin Gore and his mother, Sandy, to drive hundreds of miles from Michigan to attend the Derby.

"Just to be in the same place as royalty, that's a chance most people don't get," Gore said.

The queen and her husband, Prince Philip, are visiting the Derby as part of their six-day trip to the U.S.

They began their visit in Virginia and will also go to Washington, D.C. to attend a state dinner with President George Bush.

The royal couple arrived in Kentucky late Friday afternoon, touching down in Lexington, 70 miles (115 kilometers) east of Louisville.

Officials did not release details about the queen's itinerary, listing the Kentucky Derby as her only public event. On previous visits to Kentucky - the last in 1991 - she stayed at Lane's End. Farish is providing the queen's tickets to the race.

At the Kentucky Derby, a number of Churchill Downs workers took etiquette lessons to prepare for the queen's visit and the lead chef planned a sumptuous meal featuring a variety of Kentucky ingredients.

During her visit to Virginia, the queen visited Jamestown, the site of America's first permanent English settlement for its 400th anniversary.

She also met with students and faculty from Virginia Tech, the university where a gunman killed 32 people and then himself last month.