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Today's Caturday edition marks the start of the Triple Crown series: the Kentucky Derby. We will get a little history of the race, look at the contenders (or at least the ones that more closely relate to the PWB series), and have fun posting some pics of horseys as well as pooties and other furry critters.
Lexington, KY was the original place for horse racing dating back to the time the Constitution was being written and approved in our country. However, it was nearly a hundred years later that someone finally had the vision to create a race track—but do it in Louisville instead.
Early timeline after the jump...
From the Kentucky Derby homepage, here’s an early timeline:
1874 -- Col. M. Lewis Clark begins rescue of Kentucky's declining stock farm. Develops Louisville Jockey Club on land secured from his uncles John and Henry Churchill.
1875 -- An estimated 10,000 watch the first Kentucky Derby on May 17, the opening day of the meet.
1883 -- The name "Churchill Downs" is first used in a report on the ninth Derby by the Louisville Commercial newspaper.
1889 -- Pari-mutuel machines discarded at demand of bookmakers who tell Col. Clark machines are cutting into their business.
1894 -- Group headed by W. F. Schulte purchase the track and incorporate as the New Louisville Jockey Club. They build a 285-foot grandstand on the other side of the track.
1895 -- A new grandstand, topped by the Twin Spires, greet the May 6 Derby crowd.
1896 -- Derby shortened from 1 1/2 to l 1/4 miles. The reasoning, distance is too long for 3-year-olds so early in the spring.
1937--Churchill Downs is incorporated.
Some of today's contenders have pootie like names or are pedigrees of former Triple Crown winners who had pootie names. For example:
American Lion (Elmora's pick)
Dean's Kitten (Ben's Pick)
Icebox, the pedigree of 1994's Tabasco Cat.
Last year, Mine that Bird won this race. This year, it is anyone's guess.
Meantime, getting time to saddle up!
But some jockeys are just plain hungry before a race..
Yet some horseys prefer just to be led..
And some woozles like to be the chase..
And some woozles just want to stay home..
This tweety wants to photograph the race...
These two will just watch the race on teevee..
Elmora and Ben, my pooties
This diary is dedicated to the late Dan Fogelberg, who wrote the song, "Run for the Roses",
and to my late woozles who watched the race with me for years, Syd and Mattie, who didn't mind that I wore a hat indoors and sang "My Old Kentucky Home" when only they and the pooties were around.
May the best horse win! Please share your pets' pics or memories of past Kentucky Derby races.
Many thanks to Icanhazcheeseburger for the fun pictures.
Coded by BirderWitch
Word clouds by ccmask