The Kentucky Derby this year....

By Scott Wells
President and General Manager


My oh my oh my! I love my job! I’ll bet there were a higher percentage of beautiful women and gorgeous hats at Remington Park on Kentucky Derby Day than there were at Churchill Downs! Mind you, I’m a happily married man, but nonetheless I’m also very appreciative of beauty in its finest form. And Big Race days seem to bring out the best in fashion statements, from California to Florida to Kentucky and yes, to Oklahoma. Ladies of all ages were dressed “to the nines” and some, in my opinion “to the perfect 10s.” Of course, where there are good-looking, well-dressed women there will be found good-looking well-dressed men, and this was no exception. There was definitely lots of flirting going on. And after all, that’s just good healthy fun.

As usual, this year’s Kentucky Derby was fun to watch, difficult to predict and full of great stories. Loveable jockey Calvin Borel, after decades of toiling in obscurity, won his third Kentucky Derby in four years and punched his ticket into the Hall of Fame. Trainer Todd Pletcher, whom I’ve known since he was a kid, finally won the Derby after going 0-24 in his previous tries. My sister-in-law and wife (two of the beautiful well-dressed women referenced above) bet on the winner, Super Saver, because they saw a closeup of jockey Calvin Borel crying when the band was playing “My Old Kentucky Home.” I teased them and told them that ALL the jockeys get tears in their eyes at that moment. I also told them that Sidney’s Candy, Ice Box, Awesome Act, Lookin At Lucky and American Lion would finish in front of Super Saver. (How can a horse named after junk mail win the Kentucky Derby?). I gave those same selections to the dozens of people who asked me for my “expert” opinion. I guess they won’t be asking me next year. Maybe they’d better ask my wife and my sister-in-law.

After the Derby, when I went back to my office to hide, there on my wall I noticed a photo which I usually appreciate but which this time felt like a slap in the face. It’s a winner’s circle photo taken at a Kentucky track of a horse I owned in partnership with some friends a couple of years ago. The jockey was none other than Calvin Borel. The trainer was none other than Todd Pletcher (trainer of Super Saver). The horse was a dark bay, just like Super Saver, and wore the yellow saddle towel with the black number 4—need I say it?—just like Super Saver. The moral of this story—The male brain (mine, at least) has no chance against women’s intuition. That’s why after the race, it was ME, not Calvin Borel, who was crying!