run for the roses

Definitions

1. The Kentucky Derby horse race.
2. A college football game or series of games played with the ultimate goal of qualifying for the championship Rose Bowl game.
   idiomatic
3. A hard-fought competition or demanding challenge of any kind.
   broadly, idiomatic

Examples

“Looking back at Ohio State's run⟳ for the roses, there might be some who will insist the Buckeyes were lucky to escape⟳ defeat⟳ at least once. . . . the Buckeyes whipped a jinx in the form⟳ of premature Rose Bowl talk⟳.”

“The time had come⟳, Dundee acknowledged, to decide⟳ if he was serious about making a run⟳ for the roses. It was only mid-1990, but presidential campaigns had evolved into two-year affairs, and if he really had that famous "fire in his belly," now was the time.”

“I thought about leaps of faith, runs for the roses, and reaching for the stars.”

CEFR level