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As a record crowd cheered, American Pharoah rallied from behind and took aim at his two remaining rivals down the stretch. Chestnut colt and jockey Victor Espinoza took the lead with one furlong left and crossed the finish line a length ahead in the 2015 Kentucky Derby.
“There’s nothing like winning the Kentucky Derby,” recalled Espinoza, a three-time winner.
“For me it’s the most important thing in horse racing.”
America’s longest continuously held sporting event turns 150 this Saturday (Sunday morning, AEST). By age, he has a two-year lead over the Westminster dog show in New York.
The Derby has survived two world wars, the Depression and pandemics, including COVID-19 in 2020, when it ran in near silence without the usual crowd of 150,000.
The first Saturday in May is Derby Day with all the pomp that comes with it, including fancy hats, fans dressed in their Sunday best, mint juleps served in souvenir glasses, the crowd singing My Old Kentucky Home, and the garland of hand-sewn red roses for the winner.
The Derby was the second most watched sporting event of 2023 in the United States, behind the Super Bowl.
“I’ve heard a lot of people say it’s on their bucket list to attend and [it’s] the only horse race they see every year,” said trainer Todd Pletcher, a two-time Derby winner who has this year’s favorite in Fierceness.
The only chance to win
Part of what makes the Derby unique is that horses have only one chance to run in it, as only 3-year-olds are eligible.
It is also the only race in the United States with a 20-horse field. Since 2013, horses have had to accumulate points in qualifying races to earn entry. Previously, money earned in graduate-level careers decided the field.
“It’s very difficult to keep them on track to get to the Derby, get into the Derby and then hopefully everything goes well and have a good, clean ride,” said trainer Brad Cox, a Louisville native who saddles Catching Freedom, Encino and Just a Touch on Saturday.
Louisville residents take pride in their city’s tradition dating back to 1875, preparing homemade versions of high-calorie treats like Benedictine Sauce (grated cucumber, cream cheese, sour cream and mayonnaise), Derby Cake (chocolate chips and walnuts) and cocktails. .
Diversity struggles affecting the famous race
Thirteen of the 15 jockeys in the first Derby were black, including Oliver Lewis, who rode Aristides to victory in front of 10,000 cheering fans in 1875.
Black jockeys won 15 of the first 28 Derbies, and then there were none between 1920 and 2000. When Jim Crow laws were introduced, segregation spread across the country, including in the world of horse racing, where It was almost impossible for black riders to win. obtain license.
The last black jockey in the race was Kendrick Carmouche in 2021.
Black trainers also played a prominent role in the Derby’s early years, winning seven of the first 17 races between 1875 and 1891. On Saturday, Larry Demeritte will be just the second since 1951 and 17th overall when he saddles West Saratoga.
Women have also had a sporadic presence in the Derby.
Only six have participated in the race, the last being Rosie Napravnik in 2014. Seven women have trained Derby runners, with Vicki Oliver last doing so in 2021.
“It’s an incredibly difficult race to take on, let alone win,” trainer Brad Cox said.
Kentucky’s Brilliant Showcase
Churchill Downs Inc, the track’s publicly traded parent company, has spent $500 million ($760 million) on renovations and modernizations over the past decade. His newest masterpiece is the $200 million paddock, where fans who don’t mind spending up to $12,000 can dine and watch horses being saddled before races.
In its 150th year, the Derby purse has grown to a record $5 million, of which $3.1 million will go to the winning owner.
Despite all the changes to the race, the track and the intrusion of current events over the years, the first Saturday in May endures.
“The only thing that continues is that we have 20 of the best three-year-olds in the world,” said trainer Doug O’Neill, a two-time Derby winner.
For coach Todd Pletcher: “He seems to be the only pillar we can really rely on.”
AP
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