Churchill Downs
A look at Churchill Downs before the Kentucky Derby
Thoughts and opinions about the fascinating sport of thoroughbred horse racing from a racing insider.
Churchill
Downs: Looking Back, Looking Forward…
I stopped by Churchill last Sunday to throw a few dollars on Sam P. in
the Future Book. I almost pulled the trigger on Officer Rocket at 67-1,
something I may very well regret after the Rebel on Saturday.
Since it was a bright, warm, pre-spring day I brought my camera along
to snap a few photos around the Downs. It’s only March, but you could smell just
a hint of Derby in the air and could feel the grounds beginning to come back
to life. Horses are once again stabled at Churchill, after the annual two month
winter hiatus for backstretch maintenance. I also noticed that the portable
luxury boxes that will soon dot the infield and first turn were lined up in
the Longfield parking lot, but I can’t say for sure that they haven’t
been there all winter. Over at Cardinal Stadium, a mile or so away, there is
already a sign at the corner of Central Ave and Warnock: Oaks/Derby Parking
$10. Yes, Derby is fast approaching.
The day before my little excursion I was over on Bardstown Road, Louisville’s
eclectic strip of shops, bars and restaurants. I happened into this little
gift shop and immediately saw a stack of old Churchill Downs programs from
the 1982 Spring Meet. The cover was nothing fancy, just the Twin Spires silhouetted
against an orange sunset. It was nothing out of the ordinary, just an ‘old
school program’, sized to fit in a shirt pocket. So I was more than a
little surprised when it turned out to be an Oaks Day program.
I guess back then they kept it simple, no special cover, no page after page
of articles and advertisements. There was an ad for Barclay’s cigarettes
on the back cover though; a suave middle-aged gentleman, who looked a little
like the late Phil Hartman, about to light a Barclay with a woman’s hand
holding a tiny glass of sherry in the foreground. The slogan: ‘99% tar
free - The pleasure is back’ (plus the Surgeon General’s warning
of course).
The 108th Kentucky Oaks was run for a $150,000 purse in 1982 but there were
no other stakes races on the card (and no other stakes on the Derby Day card
either). The Oaks was won that year by Blush With Pride under Bill Shoemaker,
who happens to be the granddam of Rags to Riches, the likely winner of the
2007 Oaks.
There was a dark green colored insert in the center of the program with the
field for the next day’s $250,000 Kentucky Derby, along with advance
wagering instructions. Apparently Derby wagering wasn’t available until
2:30 on Oaks afternoon and then only at four locations throughout the track.
El Baba was the morning-line favorite at 5-2, but Air Forbes Won would be sent
postward as the public choice. They both finished well behind the winner Gato
del Sol.
So there’s a little Derby/Oaks history lesson. Here are some pictures
(black and white – I was trying to be artistic) of Churchill Downs emerging
from its winter slumber:
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Matt O'Neil has been a racing enthusiast since the mid-1980's. He is a freelance writer and thoroughbred marketing consultant and editor of the breeding journal Owner-Breeder International. Contact Matt O'Neil
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