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In most professional sports, the balance of power rests with a handful of the richest owners.
At the Kentucky Derby, there is no such balance. It remains one of the event's charms.
Two years ago, a retired schoolteacher from Louisville –— Tom McCarthy –— brought his lone horse to the track against two entries from Godolphin Racing, whose owner, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, is the ruler of Dubai and then was one of the 100 wealthiest men in the world.
But for two minutes under the Twin Spires, money meant nothing, and the men stood on a level field. There are some New York Yankee-esque figures in thoroughbred spending, but they haven't bought the Derby. Not often, anyway.
At Churchill Downs, the alcohol flows copiously and continuously. Mint juleps, champagne and high-end beer lubricate the Kentucky Derby, and for a race run this year on Cinco de Mayo, it seems utterly appropriate that a horse... more »
To understand why the Kentucky Derby really is the most exciting two minutes in sports – why stomachs twist at the start and hearts pound at the finish and tension permeates every step in between – you must trace the broad... more »
They wake up, and then they sing. Team O'Neill — as Kentucky Derby winner Doug O'Neill and his group of assistants and grooms are called — rises early, like all horsemen. In Baltimore, where the crew is preparing I'll Have... more »
J. Paul Reddam, owner of Kentucky Derby winner I’ll Have Another, arrived in the Churchill Downs winner’s circle only after leaving his job as a philosophy professor at California State University, Los Angeles, to get into... more »
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