The Kentucky Derby
By: Tom Ferry
The Run for the Roses.
The Greatest Two Minutes in Sports – or in the case of the mighty Secretariat, the greatest 1:592/5.
For those who have never been to a Kentucky Derby (G1), it is likely on their bucket list. Through 145 years, it has become far more than a great horse race at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky — It is the very definition of a spectacle.
Perhaps nobody has described the Kentucky Derby better than the late Dan Fogelberg in his song, “Run for the Roses” - It’s the chance of a lifetime in a lifetime of chance.
Each year, more than 100,000 Thoroughbred foals are registered worldwide. Of those who make it to the racetrack, fewer than 50% ever win a race, and less than 1% ever win a stakes race. The Kentucky Derby is restricted to three year-olds and, needless to say, a colt or filly is only three once. To qualify for this first leg of the American Triple Crown, a horse receives points based on performance in specific Derby prep races. The 20 horses with the most points earn a spot in the starting gate, resulting in a larger field than most American races, where eight horses on average compete against one another.
The chance of a lifetime indeed.
The Kentucky Derby has run continuously since its inception in 1875 and has traditionally been run on the first Saturday of May with two exceptions. In 1945, World War II forced the race to be moved to June, and this year’s 2020 Derby has been postponed until September 5 due to the COVID-19 virus.
A century ago, Colonel Matt Winn saved the Derby when it fell on difficult times and helped it become the preeminent Thoroughbred horse race in America. He could not have possibly envisioned the pageantry we see with today’s Run for the Roses. The irony of the great two-minute horse race is that it is preceded by a two-week Kentucky Derby Festival. Kentucky’s largest single annual event features balloon and steamboat races, and even the “Great Bed Races”. There is the Pegasus Parade and the largest annual fireworks display in North America called “Thunder Over Louisville”. And there are pre-parties — many of them. Revelers celebrate at legendary Louisville hotels, the Kentucky Derby Museum, and private horse farms.
On Monday through Thursday of Derby week, Churchill Downs opens the gates from 7 AM to 9 AM each morning for “Dawn at the Downs”, a popular tradition where fans can come out, stand along the rail and watch contenders train for the big race, and also enjoy a buffet breakfast.
Friday at Churchill Downs is called “Ladies Day”, highlighted by the Kentucky Oaks (G1), America’s premier and most lucrative race for three year-old fillies. The day typically draws an average crowd of 100,000, many of whom wear pink in support of The Survivors’ Parade, honoring the fight against breast and ovarian cancers. The parade has been a large part of Oaks Day since 2008. This annual march down the Churchill Downs homestretch features more than 140 cancer survivors and their families. The parade is followed by the $1,000,000 Oaks. Like the Derby, the Oaks was first run in 1875 and 27 winners of the race have been crowned North America’s Champion Three Year-Old Filly.
On Derby Day, fans pour in as entrance gates open as early as 8 AM. Once inside, it isn’t long before you are asked if you’d like a Mint Julep, the Derby’s signature cocktail. Each year, nearly 120,000 glasses of the traditional race beverage are served, which requires more than 10,000 bottles of the ready-to-serve Old Forester mint julep, 1,000 pounds of mint garnish and 60,000 pounds of ice each year.
The Kentucky Derby is a fashion event as much as it is a sporting event. You will see a wide-range of attire being worn, but it is the elegant variety of wide-brimmed hats which garners the greatest amount of attention. A Southern belle hat or fascinator, coupled with a stylish spring dress may be among the most popular looks for women, however, the Derby is an incomparable opportunity for women and men alike to express their personal style. Style abounds on the Derby Red Carpet too, as many of America’s best-known celebrities in the world of entertainment and sports enter Churchill Downs, showcasing their outfits and giving their Derby horse pick.
In 2015, a record 170,513 fans attended the 141st running of the Run for the Roses. Of these, nearly 80,000 were in the infield, which is true for almost every year. Here, revelers are admitted for modest general admission prices to partake in a party like few others, rivaling that of Mardi Gras on Bourbon Street. Contrast that with Millionaire’s Row where tables for eight can run as high as $27,200, or the most exclusive seating area, the Mansion. That invitation-only location opened in 2014 and tickets can run as high as $14,000 each.
As the Kentucky Derby approaches post-time, attendees can gaze upon what’s commonly known as “the walkover”. This is the massive procession of Derby entrants, led by owners, trainers, and other connections, starting from the Churchill Downs stable area or “backside”, running counterclockwise around the clubhouse turn of the main track and into the tunnel that leads to the saddling paddock.
After the horses are saddled and the call is made for “Riders Up!”, the horses make their way to the track as the University of Louisville Marching Band performs “My Old Kentucky Home”. There are arguably few moments in all of sports that are as moving, leaving few dry eyes at the song’s conclusion.
Nearly two minutes after the starting gates open, the race is over. Another garland of roses is laid across the withers of a new Champion, leaving added memories under the shadow of the historical Twin Spires.
Memories of 13 Triple Crown winners who excelled here during their journey.
Memories of the three fabulous fillies who beat the boys - Regret, Genuine Risk and Winning Colors.
Memories of the “Fighting Finish of 1933”.
Memories of horses like Donerail and Dark Star, trainers Ben and Jimmy Jones, and riders Hartack and Arcaro.
And how can anyone forget great rivalries like Nashua vs. Swaps or Affirmed vs. Alydar? Or legendary winners “Big Red” and Barbaro?
Each Derby winner dating back to Aristides in 1875 won’t be forgotten anytime soon, as plaques recalling each triumphant horse are prominently displayed throughout Churchill Downs’ concourse.
So much has been written about the Derby in close to 150 years, but as the late author Irwin S. Cobb said: “Until you go to Kentucky and with your own eyes behold the Derby, you ain’t been nowhere and you ain’t seen nothin’!”