Charlie Riedel/Associated Press
LOUISVILLE, Ky. — At the Kentucky Derby, for nearly 20 years now, as I make my rounds at Churchill Downs, I hear two phrases dozens of times.
One is a question: “Who do you like?”
The other is a prayer: “Let’s just get ’em all around there safely.”
In my early days, I was far more eager to answer the question than reflect on the prayer. For the 150,000-plus fans expected here and the millions more watching on television, picking a winner, enjoying the hats, absorbing a truly American spectacle and a bourbon or two have become part of the fabric of the event.