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A flawed list of sports sites
A month ago, we posted on Gannett’s effort to develop a top 10 list of sports attractions in the U.S. Today, the CJ named the winners: The Kentucky Derby Museum ranked highest at No. 2, followed by the Louisville Slugger Museum & Factory at No. 4, Churchill Downs at No. 5 and the Muhammad Ali…
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Secretariat’s jockey died
The rider on the greatest horse in racing history died today. From the CJ: Ron Turcotte, the legendary jockey who clinched the 1973 Triple Crown on the back of Secretariat, died Aug. 22, according to a post from the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame. He was 84. The Canada-born jockey notched a prolific…
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Defending Churchill Downs’ money grab
This letter to the editor in the CJ is totally correct. But that doesn’t make it morally right: Churchill Downs is a for-profit corporation. Their No. 1 priority is to shareholders. Not to local restaurants. Their stock shares have performed amazingly well. So, they are providing a fantastic rate of return to shareholders. Note that CDI…
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Restaurants have to swallow changes in Oaks time
A couple of days ago, we noted that Churchill Downs is changing the start time of the Kentucky Oaks to prime time to appease the network execs at NBC. We also noted that this won’t be good for some Louisville businesses. As Louisville Business First puts it: Derby weekend won’t be the same next year,…
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Be a sport: Here’s what the Ville has to offer.
Gannett keeps putting together “10 best” lists. It’s a cheap way to get content since, according to ChatGPT: Gannett owns 217 daily and 175 weekly newspapers, as of the end of 2022. This is a reduction from 261 daily and 302 weekly newspapers in 2019. So why are we talking about this? Four Louisville attractions are…
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Let’s call it what it is: Toddler horse beating
Check out this article from the Courier Journal: Junior Alvarado, the jockey who rode Sovereignty to victory in the Kentucky Derby on May 3, has sparked controversy after race stewards said he used his riding crop in excess of the allowable limit of six strikes during the race. Alvarado faces a $62,000 fine and two-day suspension for allegedly striking Sovereignty eight…
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Whiplash: Derby winning jockey fined for beating horse
We made this point about the cruelty of horse racing in our most recent podcast. Didn’t realize it actually happened to the Kentucky Derby winner until we saw this today. From the Courier Journal: Jockey Junior Alvarado was fined $62,000 and suspended two days as the result of excessive crop use during his winning ride on Sovereignty in…
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The Bluegrass Blues Podcast: Episode 3
Let’s talk about the arts and history: Focusing on the Kentucky Derby, the Underground Railroad, 20th century women in Paris and the Pulitzer Prize.
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Space Nazi’s Chia Pet: Derby reflects New Golden Age (psst … he didn’t write this)
From Fox News: President Donald Trump praised the work of his administration in a statement on Saturday and shared his “best wishes” to the competitors of the 151st edition of the Kentucky Derby, an event he says represents an “iconic American institution.” “The Kentucky Derby is not only a stakes race, but also an iconic American institution and…
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Derby history: From the late Hunter S. Thompson
And it continues to maintain that spirit. From MSNBC: The Kentucky Derby has always glorified the Good Ole Boys of the American South, a bastion of American conservatism. It makes perfect sense that Donald Trump sold $75,000 tickets to a “MAGA, Again!” fundraiser event at the Derby in 2022; it fits perfectly with now-President Trump’s…
