Derby Day

I think most readers know I began writing commentary when I lived in Vail and wrote for the Vail Daily.  That ended when the newspaper, like the rest of the Vail Valley started going hard left politically and a new editor began changing my words or deleting entire paragraphs of my commentary because it didn’t fit his ideology, so I stopped writing and began blogging.

When I sat at my computer contemplating what to write today, I realized how much I missed the randomness of my old commentary-writing days when I wrote about anything that would pop into my head from the World Court to why my granddaughter loves the color pink.  So, today I thought I’d return to my roots and write about something non-political, but topical—the Kentucky Derby.

~ The “Call to Post” ~

The Kentucky Derby is set to run this coming Saturday.  The race heralds the kick-off of the racing season’s “Triple Crown ”- the Kentucky Derby, the Preakness and the Belmont Stakes.  Each event carries distinct traditions, i.e., the Derby is known for its elaborate hats, mint juleps, and the “Run for the Roses” garland, with 150,000 fans singing “My Old Kentucky Home.” The Preakness showcases Black-Eyed Susans—Maryland’s state flower—crab cakes, and a weathervane painted with the winner’s colors since 1909. And lastly, the Belmont, known as “The Test of the Champion” honors its victor with white carnations and a “New York, New York” serenade.

~ History ~

Horse racing became a popular pastime of the wealthy by the mid-1700s in America. The establishment of the American Stud Book—an official document of horse pedigrees—in 1868 helped formalize breeding.

The Belmont Stakes started in 1867, followed by the Preakness in 1873, and the Kentucky Derby in 1875.  Sir Barton was the first to win all three in 1919, but the term Triple Crown wasn’t popularized until the 1930s.  Meanwhile, it was the 1940s that saw a golden era, with four winners.  CBS pioneered Triple Crown broadcasting, airing the Belmont Stakes in 1948 and the Preakness in 1949, before adding the Derby in 1952.  By the 1960s, the Triple Crown was a national spectacle, fueled by expanded TV access and improved production.

The first televised golden era began in 1973 when Secretariat won the first Triple Crown in 25 years and then saw Seattle Slew and Affirmed win consecutively in 1977 and 1978  and American Pharoah, trained by Bob Baffert, ended a 37-year drought in 2015.  Baffert-trained Justify won the most recent Triple Crown in 2018, despite testing positive for scopolamine weeks before the Derby. Baffert was suspended from Churchill Downs in 2022 after his horse, Medina Spirit, failed a drug test.  A 2020 FBI investigation exposed doping rings implicating prominent trainers but excluded Baffert and afterwards, in 2020 the Horseracing Safety and Integrity Act enacted antidoping reforms.

~ Legendary Runs ~

Secretariat’s 1973 Belmont run ridden by Ron Turcotte remains iconic, with a record 31-length victory and a 2:24 track record, which still stands today.  Secretariat retired after his Triple Crown win under a record $6.08M syndication deal to breed, siring around 600 foals before he died in 1989.

As an aside, the name “Secretariat” was actually accidental.  According to Jockey Club rules, racehorses need to be named by a certain date, and owners are required to submit a list of potential names for approval (because names can’t duplicate those of other registered horses).  The owners of Secretariat reportedly submitted five or six different names — including Scepter, Royal Line, Something Special, and Games of Chance — but all were rejected by the Jockey Club for being either already taken or too similar to existing names.  Faced with a deadline, one of the owner’s secretaries suggested the name “Secretariat” and it stuck.  And speaking of unusual names, I wonder if anyone has ever named a racehorse “Tripod!” – I think not 🙂

Then, in 1978, Affirmed battled Alydar in all three Triple Crown races, winning each by razor-thin margins: one and a half lengths at the Derby, a neck at the Preakness, and a head in the Belmont’s epic finish. Jockey Steve Cauthen, just 18, became the youngest jockey to sweep the Triple Crown.  After a decades long drought, American Pharoah, ridden by Victor Espinoza reignited Triple Crown fever with his sweep in 2015, drawing 22 million viewers.  Espinoza, a three-time Derby champ, became the oldest jockey to claim the crown at age 43.

~ The 2025 Derby ~

​The current favorite for the 2025 Kentucky Derby, scheduled for next Saturday at Churchill Downs, is Journalism, with morning-line odds of 3-1.  Trained by Michael McCarthy,  Journalism has secured four consecutive victories, including the Santa Anita Derby, and will break from post position No. 8. ​

Other leading contenders include Sovereignty at 5-1 odds, starting from post 18, and Sandman at 6-1 from post 17.  Notably, no horse has ever won the Derby from post 17.  Additional horses drawing attention are Rodriguez and Burnham Square, both at 12-1 odds, and Luxor Café, a Japanese entrant at 15-1.  The ‘run for the roses’ is set to begin at 6:57 p.m. Eastern Time and will be broadcast on NBC.

Quote of the day: “Horse sense is the thing a horse has which keeps it from betting on people.” — W.C. Fields