Saturday, as you should well know, was the much-famed Kentucky Derby! This high-grade stakes race has now been run for 142 years (since 1874) and is the universal symbol of prestige in the Sport of Kings. It's run at Churchill Downs on the first Saturday in May, under the white twin spires, where everyone dresses up in tuxedos for the guys and nice dresses plus ridiculous flowered hats for the girls. It's highly traditional, and yes, the winner's flower blanket is made of roses- hence the nickname "Running for the Roses". The field (horses competing) is usually around 20- that's the maximum number- and they're all colts. The Kentucky Derby for fillies is a different race, and is called the Kentucky Oaks, held the day before the Derby.
Now, last year, the racing community was blessed with the great Triple Crown champion American Pharaoh, who miraculously conquered the Kentucky Derby, Preakness Stakes, and Belmont Stakes and ridded us of the 37-year Triple Crown drought that we'd had between Affirmed (1978) and the Pharaoh (2015). Every year after a horse wins the Triple Crown, the hype is intense to see if the new Derby winner is good enough for the entire Crown. In that 37-year drought, though, a disappointed crowd saw close to that many Triple Crown hopefulls fall short, either at the Preakness because of a muddy track, or at the long mile-and-a-half track at Belmont. American Pharaoh had what it takes, and hopefully he'll pass that on to his foals. But the question of the times is whether or not our dear new winner- Nyquist- will have that extra spark, too.
Nyquist ran at a quick pace, clocking 1:10 at the 3/4 mile mark, and won by about a length. He was the favorite, although a Japanese newcomer was also attracting a lot of attention (that all went away when he broke last and stayed last the whole race). Now, after the race, journalists are saying that Nyquist may indeed win the Triple Crown this year. I hope he does. That'd be two consecutive years of history.
And of course, for your enjoyment, we've gotta have Derby pictures.
So in a nutshell, the 142nd Derby was quite the time. Unfortunately I didn't have the money/time to actually get out there and actually experience it at the Downs; maybe someday. In the meantime, however, what's going to happen as far as the Triple Crown goes this year?! We're all waiting, and since we still have 2 weeks or so until the Preakness, don't speculate too hard. Keep looking at ESPN Horse Racing, and re-watch Nyquist's Derby run on YouTube. We'll see if someone can decode this horse's running strategy sometime before June. I honestly know close to nothing about this horse's habits, but hope for a good mudder- the Preakness is often muddy! Last year, it was both raining and flooded. A water main had started leaking a few blocks away.
So that's all I have for the periodical Thoroughbred column. Check back at ESPN for more!
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