Riva Ridge winning the 1972 Derby Photo by Caulfield & Shook-The Sporting News	Alydar, Affirmed & Stevie Cauthen  Photo by  Blood Horse Magazine

 

Once again the world awaits the first Saturday in May and The Run for The Roses, the Kentucky Derby, the world's biggest and best horse race. But as I settle in to watch tomorrow's favorite, an aptly-named Big Brown, somehow manage to negotiate the lead from the 20th post position, I'll be thinking of past Derbies, other great colts and fillies, other great jocks and trainers and Stables, and even great racing articles.  In fact, there's almost nothing about this race, from the hats to the finish line that's not at once historic and larger than life.

Much as an amateur photographer tries in vain to capture the majesty of a Rocky Mountain panorama, so is the task of a writer adequately covering the legendary scope of this greatest race of them all.  How can one determine a focus ?  If the Derby were a main course, it would be a zuppa di pesce, chock-full of exotic seafood from all over the world, a blend so fine and rich in texture that it can't really be described.

Impressions, perhaps that's the best way to go.  The first thing that comes to mind is Secretariat, Big Red, whose huge Belmont victory was yet a month or so away back in 1973, and even then, I had my heart in my mouth as that huge good-looking colt of all colts seemed to have trouble passing another fine specimen with the unlikely name of Sham.  If any colt was ever for real, it was Sham.

And why had I rooted so hard for Secretariat?  Because he was from the Meadow Stables, and brought to the track by a nice old man named Lucien Lauren, and walked around the ring with the lovely Penny Tweedy Chenery, who had just finished bringing us Riva Ridge and Ron Turcotte, impressive winners of the 1972 affair.

Yes, impressions are the way to go.  How about Stevie Cauthen, "the Kid", keeping a big colt named Affirmed a nose in front of a big stud named Alydar, not only in the Derby but also in the other two Triple Crown jewels in ‘78.  The Kid was so cool I was almost jealous, as my wife seemed to take a renewed interest in racing at the time.

How about Bob Baffert, that silver-haired magician, who waved his wand over so many races in the Triple Crown Series and was so nice and gracious to Monmouth Park fans some years after.  How about the beautiful Charlsey who so appropriately reflects the charm of racing, the style and the elegance? 

How about Willie the Shoe, maybe the greatest jockey of all time, captured on film standing up in the stirrups  as he misjudged the finish line aboard Gallant Man in the 1957 Derby?  Or how about his 1986 performance on Ferdinand to once again capture a race he hadn't won since 1965 on an 18-1 underdog?

Impressions….Canonero II , a Venezuelan colt universally looked down upon by the racing community back in 1971, who came from about 18 lengths behind to win that year’s Derby only to have the race labeled as a fluke, so he came back to win the Preakness and only a foot ailment kept him from winning the Belmont in front of a huge Latino audience.

<>And how about Laz Barrera and Angel Cordero practically stealing the Derby in 1976 under a speedster named Bold Forbes, I say “speedster” but that was another lightly-regarded colt who won the mile and a half Belmont too.  And Laz wasn’t finished, of course.  He went on to become the trainer of the ’78 Triple Crown winner Affirmed under then 18-year old Stevie. 

How about D. Wayne Lukas in 1995 winning each leg of the Triple with two different horses, Thunder Gulch and Timber Country?   He’s been to the Derby seemingly countless times and has won it four times.

Yes, in an industry full of colorful characters, was there ever a more flamboyant one than Buddy Delp, trainer of one of the finest thoroughbreds of all time in Spectacular Bid, who Willie the Shoe claimed was the finest horse he ever rode.  Buddy kept a troubled jock named Ronnie Franklin up though, and won the Derby and Preakness, only to lose the Belmont to a questionable ride and a safety pin.  The bad ride came after a fight between Angel Cordero and Franklin in the jockey’s room.

So many others, Carry Back all the way back to 1961 always raced far off the lead and would come storming back.  I’m reminded too of some of the tragedies in racing, too, as I think of Foolish Pleasure, Derby winner in 1975, who later participated in perhaps the greatest match race of all time with the unbelievable filly Ruffian, who hurt a shoulder coming out of the gate and still led by a half-length after a half mile when she broke both sesamoid bones and had to be put down.

And, speaking of females, how about the indefatigable Julie Krone, the only woman to have raced in more than one Derby and only distaff winner of the Belmont, with Colonial Affair in 1993.  Julie raced for years and her sparkling personality had me smiling for years before injuries took their toll on her.

The Seventies were a great decade for Derbies, Triple Crowns and horse racing in general.  Who can forget Seattle Slew, the Crown Winner in 1977, who hadn’t been expected to be a great racehorse and was sold for a song to the Taylors, a couple out of the Northwest who named him Seattle for obvious reasons but the “Slew” was short for “slough” that Karen thought nobody’d be able to pronounce.  Besides his name and connections, Slew was also known for his “war dance”, a peculiar way he seemed to get up on his “toes” before a race.

Break out the mint and bourbon, AND DOWN THE STRETCH THEY COME!  This guy likes Colonel John, kinda walks proud like Big Red.