The Scandal Behind This Year's Kentucky Derby
The Wild And Crazy Story Behind the 2023 Kentucky Derby
Ladies and Gents,
The Kentucky Derby is perhaps the most famous horse race of all time. Held annually on the first Saturday in May, the Kentucky Derby is more than just a horse race. It’s an opportunity for investors and high rollers to make and lose millions of dollars in a single day. It’s a day for people to sip mint juleps and care about something that is stupid and pretentious. The 2023 Kentucky Derby, which occurred last weekend, was racked with scandals. So, my friends, let’s strap on our saddles, mount our horses, and ride right into the thick of it.
Last weekend, a total of seven horses died leading up to the Kentucky Derby. Four of them were euthanized after injuries, one of them died after trying to do a flip and breaking its neck (whoops), and the other two horses’ cause of death is undetermined. The two horses, “Parent’s Pride” and “Chasing Artie” died in the week prior to the race.
Horse deaths have always been a part of racing. Horses can’t really lie down, so even minor leg injuries can result in a horse being euthanized. It’s estimated that 700-800 racehorses die each year. However, seven deaths in one week leading up to the Kentucky Derby is unusual.
Even more strange, the two horses that died from undetermined causes belonged to the same trainer, Saffie Joseph Jr (which honestly sounds like the name of a horse trainer). The trainer has been suspended from all Kentucky Derby and Churchill Down races indefinitely. Churchill Down Inc. President, Bill Mudd, said,
“Given the unexplained sudden deaths, we have reasonable concerns about the condition of his horses, and decided to suspend him indefinitely until details are analyzed and understood.”
Furthermore, Foul play is not out of the question.
Wait what, foul play isn’t out of the question? You mean someone is murdering racehorses? I get that murdering animals is bad, but c’mon, how cool is that?
Churchill Downs has partnered with the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission and the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority to launch an investigation into Saffie Joseph Jr as well as the overall safety of the sport.
The Most Likely Scenario
One of the more likely scenarios for the deaths of the two horses is drug overdose. Using steroids on racehorses is not uncommon, especially for an event as big as the Kentucky Derby.
2021 Kentucky Derby winner Medina Spirit was stripped of his win just days after the derby for failing a drug test (Medina Spirit died later that year in training).
The History Of The Race
The Kentucky Derby story began in 1872 when Meriwether Clark (grandson of famous expeditionist William Clark, one of the leaders of the famous Lewis & Clark expedition) was inspired to start a horse race in America after watching a similar race in England. He acquired the land and developed the horse track, then held the first race in 1875 (a total of 10,000 people showed up). The rest is history. The race actually wasn’t profitable until well into the 1900s.
There’s Money To Be Made And Money To Be Lost
A few of the horses that died were early front runners for the Kentucky Derby. Many of them already had bets going for them. Reading that got me wondering, what are the economic figures behind the Kentucky Derby?
The Kentucky Derby has about a 400 million dollar economic footprint. Around Louisville, hotels average 93% capacity in the week leading up to the race. In 2022, there were over 275 million dollars in wagers placed during the race weekend, with almost 180 million dollars being placed on the final race. Don’t forget about ticket sales, concessions, and advertising for the 16 million viewers who tune in for the race.
So What’s The Deal?
What’s the deal with these suspicious horse deaths? No one knows just yet. Is it foul play? I hope so, but probably not. While there is major money to be made (and lost) on the derby (and the horses especially), it’s much more likely that the two horses died in less scandalous ways.
Who knows, maybe some true-crime Karens can host a podcast on it.
In the meantime, I’ll await the results of the investigation and subscribe to the random thought of the week.
Random Shower Thought Of The Week
I wonder what my dog named me. I hope it was something cool.
My friends,
I hope you enjoyed this week’s edition of “The Random Thought Of The Week”. As always, I need to ask you to share this. This newsletter is reliant upon people sharing it, so click the button below and text it to your mother, sister, father, brother, niece, nephew - anyone.
As always, I would like to leave you with a quote from two great philosophers, Bill and Ted. “Be excellent to each other, and party on dudes!”
We’ll talk next week,
H.R. Berry