Louisville [Churchill Downs / Kentucky Derby]

This morning I drove over to Churchill Downs for a tour of the facility and the Kentucky Derby Museum . I was early enough to see most of the museum before the tour began. I was heartened to see that a large exhibit was devoted to the contributions of African Americans, both in the early days of Kentucky horse breeding and racing as well as more recently. Before horse racing in the U.S. became a glamour event worth lots of money, African Americans, both enslaved and free, did much of the training and caretaking. As well many of the jockeys in the early days of racing were African American, including Oliver Lewis, the first jockey to win the Derby. In addition to the exhibit, this is commemorated in murals depicting both jockeys and trainers throughout the years in one of the lobbies of the the Churchill Downs facility.

The second floor houses a large exhibit commemorating the 50th anniversary of Secretariat’s triple crown . Among other things, it details the physical characteristics that made him such a winning horse. In addition to specific musculature and proportions, his heart was two and a half times a large as a normal horse heart. This obviously allowed greatly increased aerobic capacity. At the time, this was discovered only when an autopsy was conducted after his death. No horse before or since has beaten his times for any of the triple crown mile and a quarter races (Kentucky Derby, Belmont Stakes, Preakness Stakes.)

I also learned that there have been a few fillies who have raced competitively. Nothing prohibits it, it is simply a matter - as in many species - of physical attributes.

Our group comprised only five people. I think anyway the limit was six for this extended tour, which included the backstretch workout, the stables and some of the interior spaces. Although the light was a bit harsh (the curse of a pleasant day), I was finally able to get some shots of galloping horses. As well, we were able to view some of the post-workout cool-down, including washing and grooming of the horses. The interior portion of the tour was less interesting to me. We were shown the rooms where the celebrities and millionaires sit, as well as the table where Queen Elizabeth sat when she attended the Kentucky Derby.

This is my last day in Kentucky. Tomorrow I head west to Illinois, where I will be stopping for a couple of days in the South before driving up to Chicago.