Derby Fever

Derby Fever

Insight and commentary on the world of thoroughbred horse racing.

Thoughts and opinions about the fascinating sport of thoroughbred horse racing from a racing insider.

A Reported Outbreak of Derby Fever

It hit me today. This morning I woke up with an unmistakable case of Derby Fever. I’ve gotten the sickness every spring for awhile now. I never know exactly when I’ll come down with it, I’m just glad I did. I always get a little afraid that I’ll somehow ‘outgrow’ Derby, the way I outgrew baseball cards and other similar childhood passions. But thankfully, I’m flush with Derby Fever and I can be a little kid again for the next few weeks.

It’s been cold and dreary here in Kentucky for the past few weeks. I figured the Fever wouldn’t hit until the weather broke and the sun once again shone bright (and warm) on my Old Kentucky Home. I think it was the races yesterday - the thrilling four horse photo in the Blue Grass and the tour de force win by Curlin in the Arkansas Derby – that brought about the affliction this year. All the Sunday morning intellectual considerations of slow paces and suspect fields take nothing away from the fact that those two races were great theatre. And they only served to heighten the anticipation for the final act on May 5.

So I ran my errands today with an extra spring in my step, fueled by that nervous knot of manic energy in my stomach. Yesterday I knew in my mind Derby was three weeks away. Today I can feel it. Today I can once again feel what it’s like to breathe in that electric air at Churchill Downs on the first Saturday in May. Today the memories of Derbies past started racing around my mind. They’re as good as any drug, causing a wide smile at otherwise mundane moments. I’m sure I looked rather odd as I bounced around the grocery store this afteroon, smiling like the Cheshire Cat. But I can’t help it. And I don’t think I’d take the medicine even if there was a cure.

For me, once Derby Fever hits, Derby becomes the center of life. Nearly everything I do in the next 20 days will be done to ensure maximum happiness at 6:04 EST on May 5. I’ll make sure any work that needs to be done is well out of the way by Derby week. I’ll wait until the last week of April to get a haircut. Social events will be orchestrated with Derby in mind; some binge drinking will be in order to ‘prep’ for the arduous Derby weekend to come. I’ll obsess over my Derby pick and, when no one is looking, practice rooting him home. I’ll have conversations with old friends about the race and the surrounding festivities, friends that always come back into orbit around Derby time. At lunch today I asked a perfect stranger “Who do you like for Derby?” He didn’t know, but I’ll ask that question to friend, acquaintance, family and stranger about a hundred times in the next 20 days. And I’ll be asked the same question back about a hundred more.

Right now my answer is still Any Given Saturday. It’s an extremely intriguing Derby field this year, though, perhaps another reason Derby Fever has struck a bit early this year. Most of the contenders will be lugging some pretty heavy historical baggage around the Churchill Downs oval on May 5 and this just might be the year that all the tried and true trends become obsolete. We’ll delve into those ‘Derby rules’ in greater detail in posts later this week.

It promises to be exciting, exhilarating, and yes, exhausting, next 20 days. I’m just glad I’m once again sick enough to enjoy it.

Churchill Downs Does a Good Thing

A few months back Churchill Downs management announced that they would be assigning exorbitant personal seat license fees to several sections of the grandstand, thereby pricing out many long time Derby goers. In a Horse Blog post, dated January 25, I wrote in part:

“As a publicly traded company Churchill has the obvious responsibility to make as much money as it can and the Derby is the company’s biggest cash cow. But I think the powers that be at Twin Spires, Inc. should at least consider what its own pricing policies are doing to the makeup of the crowds on Derby weekend.”

Now I have to commend Churchill Downs for offering up 1,000 Derby seats via a public drawing held on Saturday April 14.

I have to admit I was cynical when I first saw the headline that Churchill was going to offer pairs of Derby seats at face value to the first 500 patrons who showed up yesterday. I figured they were just opening up some more seating at the top of the stretch, by far the worst seats in the house (worse than the infield in my opinion). But the seats that were offered are actually pretty decent - in sections 111, 112, 113, 114, 118, 120, 122, 222, 223, 224, and 225.

Sections 111-114 are past the finish line on the first turn. I’ve never sat there before, but I watched Barbaro win from section 118 last year and have watched a few Derbies from the 220’s. Both locales put you in the thick of the hoopla and afford a ‘live’ view of a good portion of the race, not to mention all of the post parade. The black market value of these seats is at least double the face value price, so it’s fantastic that Churchill has gone out if it’s way to get these seats in the hands of area residents.

The first person in line began camping out at noon on Friday, about 20 hours before the drawing began. He and several hundred others spent a chilly night outside the clubhouse gate, before the doors opened at 5 a.m. After another three hour wait inside the track, the Derby ticket campers were able to reach into a golden bin, pull out an envelope, shell out a few hundred bucks, and walk away with some prized Derby seats. Who knows, maybe this is the start of a brand new Derby tradition. You can never have too many of those.

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