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By Wade Peery
Drop him an e-mail at wadepeery@yahoo.com
Last Saturday, one of the most tradition filled events in all of sports was on display as 50-1 underdog Giacomo took Churchill Downs by storm and dashed his way to a highly unexpected victory. It’s certainly quite a story, but I’d say the real story every year at the derby is not the race, but the traditions that descend upon the grounds at Churchill Downs every May.
Some people may say that “The Masters ” at Augusta National is a “tradition unlike any other,” but I would argue that the same title should go to The Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs. Throughout my life I’ve been to plenty of sporting events, but I can honestly say that none of them matched the experience and pageantry of the Kentucky Derby . The thing that struck me the most about the Kentucky Derby was the diverse crowd of 140,000 people that was in attendance. I was expecting to see a crowd full of the typical derby images, men with their fine-tailored Armani suits and women donning hats with ridiculously large brims that look like umbrellas. That notion was tossed out the window even before I reached the front gates at Churchill Downs, when a bunch of hung over college students were stumbling back to their cars caked in mud wearing necklaces. It was something I’d figure I would see at spring break in Cancun or Mardi Gras, but definitely not at such a sophisticated event like the Kentucky Derby. There is no other sporting event like the Kentucky Derby, where the debutante ball meets Mardi Gras.
There are several traditions of the race that make it so special, such as the derby glasses with mint juleps, or millionaires’ row filled with all of today’s stars. When I went to the event last year, it was the beginning of Smarty Jones’ well documented Triple Crown run, but the race didn’t even matter to me. I was standing on the infield where there was a metal fence and a blue tarp blocking my view and I seriously got to see the blur of the horses whirring by. I had to watch the event on a video board and by the time the race was finished I had absolutely no clue who won the race, but I didn’t care. The whole scene of the infield was simply breathtaking. There were lakes of mud sprawled across the grass of the infield and there were two girls chicken fighting in the mud. I was simply stunned and couldn’t believe my eyes. Another thing about the derby is that you won’t find another event in sports with such a huge crowd. This year, in the 131st Kentucky Derby, fans saw a crowd of over 150,000 flock to Louisville, Kentucky for an event that is just oozing with tradition and variety. Let’s put it this way, the Michigan Wolverine’s “Big House ” is one of the biggest stadiums in America and it seats a mere 107,501, a number that is dwarfed by the over 150,000 of Churchill Downs.
The Kentucky Derby is simply unmatched with variety and tradition. Every year the decorative hats, millionaires’ row, the mint juleps, and even the rowdy infield make the annual “Run for the Roses” a spectacle that just can’t be found any where else in sports. If you want to find out for yourself, make the trek to Louisville, Kentucky during May next year and you’ll see an event that is truly “a tradition unlike any other.”
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