European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - May 04, 1968, Darmstadt, Hesse Stripes a flog Magazine until you go of Kentucky and with your own eyes behold the Derby you Ain f Neve been no place and you Ain t never seen nothing said writer Irwin Cobb. The run for the by Ralph Bennington staff writer the most famous thing about Ken Tucky could be Abe Lincoln Blue grass Daniel Fiocone Bourbon whisky Stephen Foster thoroughbred race horses Adolf Rupp and basketball or the Mammoth Cave. Any reply could be Correct but the fastest with the mos test answer around the country is the Kentucky Derby there Are older races. There Are Rich or races. There Are truer tests of horse flesh. And there Are places easier to reach and easier on the purse than Louisville during Derby week when the prices Are As staggering As the Cele brants. But there s Only one Kentucky Derby and that vat Churchill Down on the first saturday each May Over it mile maybe a Down a pref Voltee original91 nominated will go to the Post toe a. Earn aroundn20, and immortality another chapter Witt go into a Rby history this afternoon with the Mth edition of the now world famous run a the More Tymn we per sons most to be but Homo just Tobe seen will Jam the Downs to take a quiet stroll through the red Brick courtyards and Beautiful gardens or push crowd and mingle prior to the frantic few minutes of pounding hooves racing Down the to Climax Sohi Rociy May 4, 1968 the race that has come to be know Nas one of America s Premier sports events. Going Back almost 100 years to May 17, 1875 a crowd of 10,000 Sawa Little red Chestnut horse named Art slides carve his name in history by win Ning the first Kentucky Derby. Today it takes More than 11,000 just to staf Churchill Downs on Derby Day. Noted Kentucky writer Irvin cob summed up the race this Way until you go to Kentucky and with your own eyes behold the Derby you Ain t never been no place and you Ain t never seen Othin yet there s a lot More to Derby his tory than Cobb s line. Two men stand out colonel Merriweather Lewis Clark who established Churchill Downs and the Derby and Matt Winn who took Over when Clark died in 18w and built the Derby into classic status Clark did much to restore horse Rac ing in the South and West after the civil War and the Derby was his brainchild. Clark visited England then formed the Louisville jockey club with 320 Mem Bers paying 1100 each. The Money went to Purchase a tract of land from the Churchill family for the track. Hence the name Churchill Downs. The Derby itself got its name from the 19th Century English Earl of Derby. Since Clark s first Derby in 1875 therace has been run Over the same track each year without interruption unique track record. There were How Ever rough years. After Clark died the following three years were dark and troubled with the track near bankruptcy. Winn who had seen the first Deryas a boy was lured away from a Lucra Tive tailoring business to take charge in 1902. Two decades of devoted press Gentry plus the racing Boom afterword War i brought the race to the Pinnacle it holds today. The Colora Elwinn saw every Derby until his death at 88 in 1949. However Long before then the Derby had become the race of the year for turkmen celebrities an nobodies. Derby time in the famed Bluegrass country is also party time. Derby balls Are the highlight but it s the More common barbecues that prove More at Tractive. Literally hundreds of Cain tuck colonels Complete with White suits and Black string ties plus friends and relatives feast on roast pork Strong soup called Kentucky Burgos and of course the world famous mint older than the horse race itself the juleps Are an indispensable part of the annual three Day Blowout. During Derby week the Price of the necessary mint doubles and the Silver Julep cups which every Loyal Kentuck Belle makes As much a part of her dowry As her Teaspoons Flash brightly at the countless parties. Incidentally the reason juleps reserved without Straw is so your nose the stars and stripes will be buried in the fragrant min leaves and your lips will touch the icy rim of the frosted Glass. None of this tack room or behind the stable nipping is proper during Derby week although Kentucky is known As the Bourbon whisky capital. Juleps Are made wit Bourbon and Only Bourbon plus the chipped ice and jazzed up with the crushed mint leaves. The juleps do play a role but it Derby Day and the race itself that catches the attention of the nation. Life in the United states does t come to a standstill but millions of american who never saw a live Racehorse or Ever Hope to see one will be tuned i across the breadth of the land. Old radio fans no longer will thrill to the gravel voiced report of the late Clem Mccarthy but today they can havea grandstand color to seat giving them a better View than Many at the scene who had their fancy Box seat reservations handed Down from Grandfather to father to son. The seats Are More Plush today but the outward appearance of Churchill Downs is unchanged with the Majestic twin Spires still a trademark. Nearly $4 million has been spent on improve ments in last 10 years. Seats in the fourth floor Skyline Section for instance Cost $50 to $75 for the Friday and sat urday of Derby week. Even if you Don t know Beans fro horse flies about the charts forms Odds continued on pure 1jj Page 11
