Like It Is

Road to Louisville starts in Hot Springs

What started 141 years ago as a few guys getting together to see who had the fastest horse in Kentucky has become a spectacle to behold.

Every sportsman should have it on his bucket list.

Attend the Kentucky Derby.

It has grown into an international event, not only with visitors from all over the world, but with horses shipping in from thousands of mile hoping to smell the blanket of roses, which has never happened.

They might want to consider a stop or two in Hot Springs, Ark., the direct route to Saturday's Kentucky Derby winner's circle for the third time since 2004.

The Kentucky Derby has been a great event for many years, and it has grown into a business model that can pay a year's worth of bills at Churchill Downs in just two days.

There was a time the Kentucky Oaks on Friday was the day for locals, but it has grown into the third-most attended race in the country last year, and attracted more than 120,000 fans on Friday. Of course the Kentucky Derby was No. 1 and Saturday a spectacular crowd of more than 170,00 saw a truly spectacular horse, American Pharoah.

As Derby weekend has grown over the past two decades, it seems to have attracted more commercial endorsements than the entire PGA Tour. Maybe close to as many as all of NASCAR.

It has made some wealthy people even wealthier, but for the most part it has not affected the most exciting two minutes in sports -- the running of the Kentucky Derby.

There are a few owners and breeders who are there to be part of the party, but the trainers, jockeys and horses are mostly untainted by the festivities as the soul beats for a visit, that moment in history, in the winner's circle of the most coveted in all of racing.

On days when there are a lot of scratches during a day's racing card it's sometimes because there are horses that wise trainers have decided had no chance of beating. But on Derby Day it is highly suspected many of the owners or trainers scratched their horses, not their seats, that are harder to come by than a water fountain in the grandstand.

Saturday, when most of the mint juleps had been sold, the beer taps were running low and the ticket sellers were on cruise control, the race was finally run and it ended where it started: the Oaklawn Park winner's circle.

When American Pharoah shipped to Oaklawn for the Rebel Stakes in March it was because trainer Bob Baffert wanted to see how he performed somewhere other than California. As the favorite in that race he was impressive.

A month later he returned for the Arkansas Derby and was breathtaking.

His 8-length victory was settled long before he crossed the finish line. So over that jockey Victor Espinoza let up with 10 yards to go, leaving a small question about whether he could go 1 1/4 miles, but that was definitelyanswered on a day when Baffert, before the race, said he had a goal of winning the Triple Crown.

American Pharoah was handcuffed with post position No. 18 settled in third behind his stablemate, Dortmund, going into the backstretch, and it was obvious he was going to be running farther than any other contender.

A replay showed how unbelievably relaxed he was throughout the race and when they were in the stretch to home he showed the heart of a champion.

He went eye-to-eye with Firing Line, who edged past Dortmund near the wire to get second, and American Pharoah breathed in through his competitor's heart and out with a hard move that couldn't be equaled by any 3-year-old in training, and he was going to be the winner.

He's the third favorite in a row to win on the first Saturday in May, and is a real threat to win the Triple Crown.

Sports on 05/03/2015

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