Steve Buttleman trumpeting the call to the post. Fading all of the horses from the west coast. A swig from a warm flask of bourbon that stings. These are a few my favorite Kentucky Derby things.
As a teenager I worked security at Churchill Downs for Kentucky Derby week alongside an MP from Fort Knox. An outsider at his first Derby, there was one thing he could not quite wrap his head around, asking many patrons, “Why is this such a big deal?” It’s difficult to explain to a newcomer how and why a 2-minute horse race captivates an entire region.