Kentucky Derby Countdown

The first Saturday in May has been in highlight day in my life for many years. The Kentucky Derby became significant to horseracing when Matt Winn was recalled from his assignment in New Orleans as the manager of the City Park Race Track to Louisville to become the promoter of the Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs. His efforts moved the race from being just another Derby race for 3 year old Thoroughbreds to the greatest two minutes in sports. While the race is a contest between equine athletes, the real stories which bring the race to life are the stories about people associated with the race and racing.

My first Kentucky Derby recollection was a win by Majestic Prince in 1969. Bill Hartack rode the winner and the trainer was Johnny Longden. Hartack’s win percentage by mounts taken in the Derby may never be surpassed with his five wins from twelve starts. Along with Longden he is a member of Thoroughbred Racing’s Hall of Fame. Hartack was a casual acquaintance before he came to work as a Steward for us at Fair Grounds in 1997. He embraced New Orleans and I’m happy to say was a good friend until his death in 2007. Longden is a member of the Fair Grounds Hall of Fame from his contributions over the years in the major fixtures in New Orleans. He was our guest for his induction to the Fair Grounds Hall and reminisced about racing in New Orleans back in the 1930’s and 1940’s.

The stories surrounding Canonero II the Venezuelan Champion who won the Kentucky Derby in 1971, Riva Ridge in 1972 were set ups for the Secretariat saga of 1973. After Secretariat’s Triple Crown racing rode a wave of success propelled on by Seattle Slew 1977 and Affirmed 1978 back to back Triple Crowns. There have been a lot of Derbies and a lot of stories since those years.

From 1990 to 2006 my Derby experience changed from a view in front of a television to up close and personal. We were lucky enough to be part of the mayhem of Derby week with a group of a dozen or so friends and experience the spectacle first hand in Louisville. To be there for the week and stroll the barn area visiting friends and seeing the equine participants up close as they put in their last training gave us a taste of being on the inside. Imagine spending Super Bowl week in the locker room and on the practice field with the Saints (or insert your favorite team). The vibe is extraordinary and the stories go from being colorful to coming to life before your eyes.

For the race day attendees Derby weekend it’s a day of fashion, food, drinks and fun. In the picture above four ladies from New Orleans on Kentucky Derby Saturday sometime ago enjoy the view from their table in the Churchill Downs Clubhouse. From the left, Lou Ladato, her husband Frank Sr. was a long time horse trainer in New Orleans and her son Frankie was a long time Racing Official. Sadie Marcello, her husband Vincent was a Thoroughbred Breeder and racetracker. Edna Carden and her husband Tom were the owner of one of the largest Breeding Farms in Louisiana, Clear Creek Stud in Folsom. JoAn Stewart, her husband Jimmy was a Jockey and later a horse trainer. JoAn worked for the Louisiana HBPA, Thoroughbred Breeders Association and was the VIP Services Director for Fair Grounds for many years (aside from those chores, she was my baby sitter when I was four years old). These ladies held the perfect attendance award for daily attendance of racing at the Fair Grounds for most of my life and were fairly regular Kentucky Derby attendees. Not only did they enjoy being there, they were pretty good at picking winners. They knew everybody and had a network of inside information second to none (better than the CIA).

I still watch and work the phones. My group rallied for an appearance at Belmont in 2015 to watch as American Pharoah claimed the Triple Crown after a thirty seven year drought of the illusive accomplishment. Here are my thoughts up to this juncture on this years three year olds..

Santa Anita Derby Winner ROADSTER and runner up GAME WINNER are two strong contenders for this year’s KY Derby.  At his point TACITUS, the winner of the Wood Memorial in NY would also be strong contender.  OMAHA BEACH and IMPROBABLE both impressed me in their ARK Derby efforts finishing distantly ahead of the rest of the field.  A third horse who had fallen off the radar should be added back as an outsider.  WAR OF WILL was the LA Derby favorite who suffered injury in the race and looked to be off of the KY Derby trail worked a blazing work at Keenland over the weekend.  Of these six horses three are trained by Bob Baffert (Roadster, Game Winner and Improbable).  GAME WINNER is last year’s Two year old Champion Colt and winner of the Breeder’s Cup Juvenile.  He has  not embarrassed himself this year with two competitive second place finishes against top competition in his last two starts but has not shown the type brilliance to say he is special.  These next three weeks are when the real homework starts.

A last thought on this years Kentucky Derby. Matt Winn brought the Kentucky Derby to prominence. In our times John Asher filled the spiritual role of the chief promoter of the first Saturday in May. John was a much decorated radio sports reporter and media personality before he made his passion for the Kentucky Derby his full time pursuit as an employee for Churchill Downs. We made a run at John offering him a job as the Publicity Director or Sports Information Director’s position with the Fair Grounds but the call of his dream job kept him in Louisville. John passed away suddenly last year at the tinder age of sixty two. Not only was he a great racing historian, he also was a great source of entertainment with his encyclopedic knowledge of music. John is another one of those people making those stories of racing endearing and enduring. Horse Racing is a part of New Orleans because it’s a people sport, like New Orleans is a people town.

BGK