THE RUN FOR THE ROSES – 134TH KENTUCKY DERBY

In a world that has gone completely mad it is reassuring to know there are still some things that never change like the 134th Kentucky Derby Saturday at Churchill Downs in Kentucky. For about two minutes at 5 pm Saturday what happens in the rest of the world ceases to be important as the horses break from the starting gate.

This year there are 20 horses in the Derby, a huge field, and the odds on favorite is the one horse no one thinks can really win because of a host of excuses. Big Brown has only run three races in his career. The picture shows Big Brown taking the lead and winning the recent Florida Derby.



Only one horse in history won the Derby after just three races and that was back in 1915. Just two horses have won the Derby with just two races as a three year old and Big Brown only raced two times this season. Such inexperience seldom gets rewarded when you are running against the best horses in the world.

Big Brown drew the 20th Post Position, the farthest horse from the inside position. Only one horse ever won from the #20 position way back in 1929 and that was before starting gates were installed. Big Brown would have to fight through 19 thundering horses to get to the lead.

So we have an inexperienced big-hearted horse trying to make Derby history in many ways and the experts saying he can’t do it while the people want him to win. I guess the Kentucky Derby is a microcosm of this years’ presidential race. As Obama tries to make history the experts believe he will somehow not be able to live up to the dream.

Have another Mint Julep, the official drink of the Derby.

Perhaps the experts will be wrong and history can be made. We shall see.