Saturday Commentary: The Kentucky Derby

Every year, the Kentucky Derby is run on the first Saturday in May. This was the 134th running of the race. I have had the honor of being a part of the tradition surrounding the event for the past 7 runnings. As a member of the University of Louisville Marching band, we perform the song "My Old Kentucky Home" as the horses step onto the track before the Derby. I have many fond memories of time involved with the Derby. One happened at my first Derby. Wynton Marsalis perfromed with us. Before the performance, he had an impromptu jam session with one of our tuba players named Raymond Green. Another moment happens when the wind is blowing in the correct direction. There are times when there is a brief moment of silence in the music, but due to the sound delays, we could hear the grandstand singing. Each time this happened, it gave me chills.

Big Brown won the race this year, which is odd for a couple reasons. First, the favorite does not usually win. There are just so many situations that can happen, that keep them favorite from winning. It is possible for them to get stuck in the middle, and simply never have a chance to make a run. This risk is compounded during years like this year, where there is a maximum field of 20 horses. Granted, a jockey can try to get out front immediately, but then it is very rare that a horse leads from start to finish. Another thing working against Big Brown this was him starting from the 20th post position. Starting that far out increases the risk that the horse will have to run wide around the first turn. Taking the turn wide either forces to horse to work harder to keep up, thus tiring it out quicker, or lose ground to the horses closer to the rail.

Sadly, the runner-up, the filly Eight Belles had to be euthanized after breaking both front legs, while trying to slow down after the race. While this is sad, and I do feel sorry for all the people involved with the horse, I will stop short of calling this a tragedy. A tragedy is when 100,000 people die from a cyclone. A tragedy is when a bridge collapses. A tragedy is when there is a mass amount of death and damage occurs, and not when a single horse, or even human dies. However, this event is proving to be a lightning rod for the horse racing industry. PETA has made their voices and demands heard. Of course, none of their demands are very realistic. Look them up if you want to. I am not posting them here. On the more respected side of the debate, how race horses are being bred today compared to decades ago is being examined.