04/19/24
May 06, 2005
Raw, unadulterated, unashamed hype.: The Derby was born from hype. Once upon a time, the Kentucky Derby was just another horse race. Then Col. Matt Winn arrived in Louisville. When Winn took over the reins at Churchill Downs in 1902, the Kentucky Derby was merely a rich stakes race. By 1915, through glad-handing, glib talk, and a gargantuan effort at publicity, he had turned it into the premier horse-racing event in the world, a distinction the Derby has held ever since.
posted by the red terror to other at 08:39 PM - 6 comments
In today's world, anything can be over hyped to the point that people think its the only event of its kind. You are right, this is a great example.
posted by daddisamm at 04:30 AM on May 07, 2005
The Derby definitely has the largest ratio of time spent in pre-event and post-event coverage to time spent in the actual event of any sporting event that I know. My vote for greatest horse race in the world: the Palio
posted by lil_brown_bat at 03:30 PM on May 07, 2005
Wow, the Boss's horse really laid an egg! Maybe he'll get banned from the Stud Farm!
posted by daddisamm at 09:45 PM on May 08, 2005
The race turned out to be quite magnificent. Half-way down the stretch with the prize and immortality on the line, there were a half-dozen horses with a legitimate chance, and most of them were horses nobody foresaw, all outsiders except Afleet Alex. Mike Smith's timed run on Giacomo was incredible. He came from away back, had to cover ground fast and do it through a maze. It was a-mazing. Even better was the jaw-dropping tote-board: With longshots taking three of the first four spots, the exotic payoffs were enormous. The exacta paid a Derby record $9,814.80, the trifecta a Derby record $133,134.80, and the superfecta an astounding $1,728,507, easily a Derby record. Mark Twain on The Melbourne Cup: "Cup Day is supreme it has no rival. I can call to mind no specialized annual day, in any country, which can be named by that large name - Supreme. I can call to mind no specialized annual day, in any country, whose approach fires the whole land with a conflagration of conversation and preparation and anticipation and jubilation. No day save this one; but this one does it."
posted by the red terror at 09:37 AM on May 09, 2005
Mark Beech of Sports Illustrated said Smith's ride "made the difference ... weaving in and out of traffic all the way around the track and putting Giacomo in perfect position to strike. His ride should go down alongside Bill Shoemaker's on Ferdinand in 1986 as one of the finest in Derby history." Peter King called "the drama of a schmoe winning such a big race ... great for sports."
posted by the red terror at 12:40 PM on May 09, 2005
"the premier horse-racing event in the world, a distinction the Derby has held ever since" ...? Speaking of "raw unadulterated hype," you can always count on Fox to rachet up the hysterical blather and b.s. with the best of them. The Derby is *one* of the greatest horse races in the world, but only an ignorant knob says it has the distinction of being *the premier horse-racing event* in the world. There are other races of equal distinction. Just don't expect an American to talk about them.