Michael's Gone, But The Dance Lives On

By BEN JACKEY
One Great Season

I've lived in horse country nearly all my life, but I can barely tell you the difference between a mare, a colt, and a gelding (I'm the latter since marriage).  However, when I place my $2 wager on the ponies, I do study the racing form with great fervor. I always look at past performance, usually the last two or three races. And, of course, I like to see who that horsed raced against. Then, I pick my champion.

Now to the story. Much like Barbaro was formidable on the track, I'm equally imposing on the dance floor. Going into what some were calling a "Derby Kick-Off Party" on Saturday, I knew my competition would be stiff. And the knowledge that OGS founding editor John P. Wise would be in attendance, made my legs -- which rival the width of a thoroughbred's ankle -- tremble. Yet, I was confident based on my previous prep dances.

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What John Wise did not know is that I had spent the previous two weekends destroying the wedding reception circuit. My April 10 performance in Dallas was a little rusty. My only competition was a drive-time DJ from Charlotte who spent many nights in the clubs and had all the moves. The dude could dance.  Thankfully, there were plenty of fillies in the stable and his attention was diverted. It wasn't a great showing, but I proved I could go the distance.  I danced with bridesmaids, brides, moms, dads, groomsmen and even myself. The footwork was a little sloppy after tearing ligaments in my left ankle (thank goodness I'm not Barbaro, by the way). To seal the deal, I actually went to the old stand-bye. It's my version of Kareem's jump hook and Hardaway's crossover; it's The Running Man. When the disco ball went dim, I declared myself the undisputed champion of the dance floor.

The weekend leading up to the big event would prove more of a challenge. This group liked to party -- from the father of the bride to the inappropriate aunt. There was drinking before the wedding, on the way to the reception and well into the wee hours of the night. Much like Lasix for a colt, Jim Beam can provide an average horse with the ability to push physical insufficiencies aside. I like to go straight edge with a long night of dancing on the horizon.  They may have been juiced, but I had the juice. My thighs were burning and my equilibrium was failing, but I perservered. The pictures and captions on Facebook do not lie: I was the life of the party and now had my eyes on the Triple Crown of Dancing.

I spent much of the week practicing in between showering and eating. Instead of my long gazes into the mirror, I used the beautiful reflection of myself to hone my skills.  

Then came the second to last Saturday in April. The greatest three hours in dance. 

I must say, I had to overcome some incredible obstacles. 1) No glow sticks. 2) The distraction of the "only in Kentucky" sight of a highly intoxicated woman inappropriately positioned with a man, locked in a nauseating embrace, all while unintentionally becoming the mascot of the establishment we were in, called "August Moon." And 3) As John Wise warned me before my arrival, the music was absolutely dreadful.

I knew the odds were stacked against me when Soul For Real's "Candy Rain" began blasting through the speakers. What's that, Mr. DJ? You were all out of H-town? Blinkers were a necessity for this race. 

The measure of my success was calculated by the number of times my Ryan Seacrest skinny tie was grabbed by both males and females, the amount of random strangers who felt compelled to trade moves with me and the blonde who tried to pull me back to the dance floor in between the tonsillectomies she performed on the creator of this fine Web site.

Again, victory. 

I continue to roll around in my garland of roses.  Truth be told, I went off at even odds. Like Wesley Snipes said, "Always bet on the skinny white guy."

Jackey is an Emmy Award-winning partier who lives in Louisville.

Talking Derby Without Sounding Like a Horse's Ass

By RAMZY NASRALLAH
One Great Season

Unless you're a Kentuckian, a committed horse-racing aficionado, a professional gambler or simply the type who refuses to miss a huge party, this weekend's Kentucky Derby is about to sneak up on you yet again.

Unlike New Year's Eve, which always occupies the same day, Derby Day shifts annually around the first weekend in May, and unlike the Super Bowl, it's not the culminating event of a sport you've been following for several months, as the Derby is just the first leg of the Triple Crown, followed by the Preakness and the Belmont. Being Derby ignorant is one step away from hating America. You're on a slippery slope to Gitmo.

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Derby Day at Churchill Downs attracts well over 150,000 people every year and has a culture all its own. Yet you know nothing about it. Sure, you understand it's a horse race and you may have yelled, "Down The Stretch They Come" like a douchebag once when you accidentally happened to catch it live at a sports bar, but aside from that, the Derby is a mystery to you. You're better than that. Even if you aren't, you should be.

Here's a little sound-byte primer for you, equus ignoramus, so that you can come across as just a little more cultured in between Jager bombs on Saturday afternoon:

The Race

Often called "The most exciting two minutes in sports," as the winner typically crosses the finish line in 120-125 seconds. The first-ever Derby winner, Aristides, finished in a sluggish 2:37, while last year's winner, Mine That Bird, finished in 2:02.  Performance enhancers of the pharmaceutical and technological variety are not only pervasive, but generally encouraged in horse racing. All horses in the Derby are 3-year-olds, so you can only run in it once, and -– that's right, professor –- you can only win it once, too. Churchill Downs has a bunch of races that precede the main event, so there's plenty of time for lubrication prior to the grand denouement. The women in attendance traditionally wear sun dresses, big hats and sunglasses (also known as "the devil's disguise" since the costume serves as a disingenuous performance enhancer for unattractive women) and nobody in the infield has less than a .2 BAC after 11 a.m.  The rest is details.

Secretariat

The 1973 winner of the Derby and the most ridiculous athlete in American history, horse category. Still holds the all-time Derby and Belmont records. Secretariat steadily increased his speed in the race, running each quarter segment of the Derby faster than the one previous en route to the win, a rarity in horse racing. He won the Derby and the Preakness by a relatively close two-and-a-half lengths, and then with all of the pressure in the world to win the Triple Crown, absolutely destroyed the field in the Belmont, winning by 31 lengths. The only non-human member of the Kentucky Hall of Fame spent the final 16 years of his life in the bedroom, nailing fillies daily without prophylaxis. Winning the Triple Crown means never having to pay for dinner or say please ever again.

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Barbaro

The dominating 2006 winner of the Derby who shattered his leg two weeks later in the Preakness, which led to his untimely death from laminitis the following year. Related to several other famous and recent Derby winners, including Big Brown, Smarty Jones and Funny Cide. Kentucky has a very rich horse culture, and every Kentucky citizen either owns a horse or is related to someone who does; this is not conjecture, it's scientific. Barbaro's death, for many Kentuckians, was like the passing of a family member, as his worsening condition was reported daily in both the Kentucky and national media until his demise.  Joking about Barbaro in mixed company is generally unadvised. Barbaro's remains are interred in front of Churchill Downs beneath a bronze statue of him. He's more popular than you'll ever be.

Win/Place/Show/Trifecta/Superfecta

Betting on horses comes in several different flavors.  Win, place and show are simply the first-, second- and third-place finishers. You can bet on each individually or in a group. For example, if you box a trifecta bet, you pick three horses you think will finish in the top three and if they do so in any order, you win. A straight trifecta bet means picking the first, second and third horses correctly. A superfecta is doing this successfully with the top four. Superfecta is Latin for "sucker bet," but because you can place one for less than a dollar, it's cheap entertainment. 

Mint Julep

The traditional drink of the Kentucky Derby since 1938. It's a recipe that takes delicious bourbon and turns it into something that closely resembles Scope mouthwash. A julep is made by combining bourbon, water, sugar and mint -- basically a Bluegrass Mojito. If you're going to make the trip to Kentucky, you're going to be enticingly close to both good bourbon (neat or with rocks) and value bourbon (Coke, julep or otherwise). If you have the means, get your hands on some Van Winkle (but casually refer to it as "Pappy" to avoid ridicule) and do not julepify it for God's sake.

Dancer's Image

The only horse to ever win the Derby, only to be disqualified after anti-inflammatory drugs were found in his celebratory piss test. Had Dancer's Image won last year's Derby, he wouldn't have been DQ'd because what was illegal in 1968 is now totally permissible. So if you're a horse and you're reading this, no more Golden Seal with your phenylbutazone cocktails, baby; prohibition is over! 

The Oaks

The race that takes place on Derby eve, this Friday.  Not as well-attended as the Derby itself -- only 100,000 or so bother to attend this, making it only slightly more popular than the Ohio State spring game -- but nonetheless it still outdraws both the Preakness and the Belmont. Last year's winner, Rachel Alexandra, went on to win the Preakness. Just as girls named Rachel are usually hot, fillies named Rachel almost always win big horse races. Again, scientific.

Who Will Win in 2010?

Generally speaking, all who enjoy outdoor cocktails with the sun blasting on their faces are the big winners this Saturday, but as far as the 2010 Derby finishers, I'm going with Dean's Kitten to win, Endorsement to place and Setsuko to show. Feel free to bogart my picks, but please remember to send some Pappy my way -- 23-year, if you can get it -- if they pay off for you.

Ramzy Nasrallah is a senior staff writer for ESPN Affiliate Bucknuts.com. You can follow him on Twitter @ramzyn.

Review-isville: Ramsi's Cafe On The World

By JOHN P. WISE
One Great Season

Remember The Patron? I couldn't help but fall in love with what I thought was the perfect gourmet pizza restaurant on Frankfort Avenue during my last visit to Louisville.

Well, it closed, and so have a few other familiar haunts, but that hardly spells the end of great eating in the Derby City. Ramsi's Cafe On The World is still in its popular and increasingly busy Bardstown Road location.

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When I first moved to Louisville in 2000, Ramsi's was a small, hipster-ish joint with low ceilings and poor lighting.

But it's expanded twice since then -- obviously a good sign -- and serves all kinds. Its menu is far more diverse than the Louisville population, offering up nearly 30 entree items from almost as many countries.

The best part of my visit Sunday, however, was the friendly bartender who confessed the Korean Beef Tips dinner wasn't the heartiest of servings. So I ordered the Shanghai Stir Fry instead.

Much like the fish tacos I ordered at El Mundo the night before, the stir fry was pretty bland. The black bean sauce was drizzled in far too conservatively. When the bartender agreed and retrieved an extra side of it, I was nearly half done with my meal that was quickly getting cold. It was a sizeable portion, so I filled up on chicken, rice and nutritious vegetables, but hey, I'm on vacation. I'm not thinking about health. I want delicious creams and sauces.

Pat ordered the fish tacos and seemed to enjoy them. That plate was way heartier than the fish tacos I didn't really enjoy at El Mundo. So far I'm 0-for-2 eating dinner out in Louisville. At least I had some Graeter's Black Raspberry Chip ice cream waiting in the freezer for me when I got back home.

Review-isville: El Mundo

By JOHN P. WISE
One Great Season

Whether you're a first-time visitor to Louisville or returning for a two-week stay like I am, El Mundo is a culinary staple that shouldn't be missed in the Derby City.

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I hadn't eaten at the Frankfort Avenue joint often in my four years living there, but I do recall an enjoyable dinner on each of those precious few occasions.

Saturday night, however, delivered a fairly mediocre plate of fish tacos. I know the cod is universally pretty bland in such an entree, but most places drop in some seasoning. At El Mundo, however, the surrounding beans and rice served as a stand-in for the flavor that was otherwise absent from the plate.

At least the mojito was pretty good.

Pat, on the other hand, said he was pretty impressed with the chile relleno, so order that before the fish tacos, especially if you can handle some spice.

Memory Lane: Editor Longs For Louisville On Derby Day

(This piece was originally published on the MyFox network of FOX local television station Web sites in 2008.)

By JOHN P. WISE
One Great Season

If March roars in like a lion, does May glide in like a thoroughbred?

It does in Louisville, Ky., where as many as 20 of the world's elite 3-year-old race horses will run for the roses in Saturday's 136th Kentucky Derby, beginning at about 6:20 p.m.

It's known as the most exciting two minutes in sports, and for visiting revelers, it might be. But for those who live in Louisville, the event is the farthest thing from a sprint.

Derby Festival

The Kentucky Derby Festival typically makes its official opening two weeks ahead of race day. Thunder Over Louisville rings in what many regard as a holiday season across the Bluegrass. A day-long military air show calls more than a half-million people to the banks of the Ohio River -- both in Louisville and in southern Indiana -- and is punctuated by a fireworks show at nightfall that is billed as the nation's largest.

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From there, all manner of events, competitions, concerts, food tastings, parades and parties dot the social calendar around town.

All the while, deep-pocketed horse owners and trainers quietly make their way to Churchill Downs, the Madison Square Garden of racing, to get their magnificent animals prepped for the sport's most famous event. Pre-dawn workouts are a photographer's fave; slow-aperture silhouette prints make a popular postcard, complete with the dew-speckled dirt under the feet of a galloping beast.

Derby Parties

No springtime fortnight is complete without its parties, and Louisville lives up to the expectation. Kentucky is Maker's Mark country, but for Derby season, there's no such thing as an unwelcome bottle or beverage. Quantity seems to be the theme here, even if the cheap label does read Early Times or Kentucky Gentleman.

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But quality eventually comes into focus on Derby Eve, when A-list celebrities hit the Mint Jubilee downtown and the Barnstable Brown party in the charming Highlands neighborhood.

I lived in the Highlands for four years and have shot the Barnstable event five or six times, including the night a fairly high-profile introduction was made in 2004.

One of my favorite pictures I've ever taken is a profile-view of one of the best actors of all-time, Dennis Hopper. I looked at it so frequently that I remember the out-of-focus faces in the background.

So when I was watching HBO's "Entourage" in the summer of 2006, I noticed a familiar face in the form of an extra, a blonde man conversing with a co-worker in Ari Gold's office. I checked my files and sure enough, it was a celebrity photographer shooting Hopper from the other side of him.

Indeed, this was Louisville native Larry Birkhead long before he was known as, well, Larry Birkhead. And this was the night he met Anna Nicole Smith, one of the favorites for several years among the hundreds of stargazers who would gather outside the Highlands home.

The Barnstable Brown event is thrown by sisters known better as the Doublemint twins from those chewing-gum commercials years ago. They throw the biggest party on the circuit, a black-tie affair that draws the NFL's Manning family, Tom Brady, Jerry O'Connell and Rebecca Romijn, Nick Lachey and Kid Rock, among many others.

Late Night

The Mint Jubilee and Barnstable parties wind down at normal times and TV reporters scramble to hit their 11 p.m. slots. Shortly later, the celebrities make their way out, as the evening for them is just beginning.

Playboy, Maxim and Crown Royal host fairly large to-dos at clubs that roll into the skinny hours of Derby Day. Tight-topped women with new haircuts and manicures angle to meet some of the many athletes in town as average joes look on, hoping this will be the year they can script their own exciting Derby weekend story.

Race Day

The sea of people isn't confined to the infield, where several years ago a TV weatherman from my old station had his report interrupted by a young gal eager to display to a live television audience what was underneath her tank top.

The infield is where college kids go to try to register a blood-alcohol content of .20 before the third race. But in other areas of Churchill Downs, the southern Belles boast their brilliant hats and darling dresses and the gentlemen of quality sport their freshly pressed seersucker suits unworn since the last Derby.

It's 1 p.m. and Churchill is packed with more than 100,000 people. The race is still five hours away. Fifty-thousand more people are expected to add to the mayhem before then.

This is the best event a photographer could ever cover. No one dislikes a cameraman on Derby Day. There are so many layers: The people, the colors, the horses, the jockeys, the vendors, Bob Baffert's snowy-white hair, the paddock, the scenery and the turn. Oh, that turn.

It's one of the most picturesque scenes in sport -- 20 gorgeous horses speeding through that first turn, with Churchill's famous twin spires slicing through the background, a hat atop tens of thousands of screamers below, all hoping they're holding at least one winning ticket.

And when the dust settles, both figurative and literal, the fun for many comes to an end. One ownership family will celebrate a Derby win deep into the night as many revelers try to stay out late as well. But for many others, it's time for bed.

Memory Lane

My most memorable Derby year was in 2004, when I lived in Cincinnati but spent the week working out of Louisville. I got into work on Monday at about 8 a.m., toiled until 6 p.m., came home for a three-hour nap, woke up for dinner, then went out for drinks until 2 a.m. and repeated the process for each of the next few days.

There were some Derby days when I'd done some work for a few hours after the race, then called it a night out of sheer exhaustion.

And then there was the time when I went into a bar at about 2 a.m. after one Derby, and didn't come out until the sun was starting to re-introduce itself. By the time I got to my friend's house, the birds were chirping and the paperboy was delivering his route.

Such a scenario only meant one thing: it was time for a Bloody Mary over a conversation about how to do it better the next year.

Ramzy Watch: OGS Welcomes Special Guest Monday

By JOHN P. WISE
One Great Season

I've got some excellent news to share.

Ramzy Nasrallah, the outstanding Ohio State writer for Bucknuts.com, makes his One Great Season debut with an entertaining Kentucky Derby piece that will be posted Monday at 12:01 a.m.

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Nasrallah, also known as @ramzyn on Twitter, offers a savvy take on Derby debauchery. If you're a fan of the Triple Crown, you'll enjoy his series of comical riffs on familiar topics. If you're a newbie to the horses, get a pen and paper. Or, better yet, click this Expedia link because when you're done reading, you'll be buying a ticket to Louisville to witness the most exciting two minutes in sports on May 1.

And if you own a wristwatch, you'll want to sync it up with this Ramzy Watch countdown clock below. To quote Schwarzenegger, do it now.

Best Event Still Ahead In Great Stretch Of Sports

Derby Tops NCAAs, Opening Day, Masters

By MATT STULL
One Great Season

I may get an argument from all of you football fanatics, but this is the best time of the year for sports. In fact, last week I was in sports heaven. Just as an all-around great NCAA basketball tournament was wrapping up, baseball was ready for Opening Day.

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I was all smiles when my favorite pudgy player, Yadier Molina, hit a grand slam to send my St. Louis Cardinals to a season-opening victory and send Reds fans home with nothing but Skyline Chili-induced indigestion.

From there it was on to the Masters. Who didn’t love a leaderboard full of great stories like Fred Couples and Tom Watson? And it all wrapped up Sunday with family man Phil Mickelson sending Tiger home to his text messages.

But my favorite spring sports event is still two weeks away and here's the kicker: I have no idea who I will be cheering for, and hardly any idea who will be participating.

I'll admit that I'm biased in my love for the Kentucky Derby. Since I have lived my entire life inside the Commonwealth of Kentucky, I know full well that the Derby is America's longest-running continuously contested sporting event. The Belmont Stakes is older, but they skipped a few years for war or some other weak excuse.

Plenty of things make the Derby unique -- and I'm sure you'll see many of them on this Web site over the next few days -- but here's my favorite: most of the 140,000 people who will enter Churchill Downs on the first Saturday in May will walk in without any idea which horse they'll be rooting for (read: betting on) around 6 o'clock that evening.

Lots of things conspire to make that happen. First, no horse can run twice in the Derby, since the race is only for 3-year-old colts and fillies. So you don't have that Dale Earnhardt story where a horse has won everything except the big one. You don't have the John Elway story where an aging legend comes back one more time to try and take a title. And you don't see many Cubs fans at Churchill, because there’s no such thing as next year in horse racing.

Here's another problem: even in arguably the biggest horse racing town in the world, Derby horses aren't on most people’s minds until a few days before the race. In fact, the actual field for the race isn't set until the Wednesday before. Imagine the Super Bowl with only three days of hype.

The result of all of this is one of the Derby's most endearing qualities. You don't really hurt after the race, no matter who you were rooting for. That is, unless you bet your paycheck on said horse. If that's the case, you'd better reach for one of those $9 mint juleps they sell at the track.

Stull is a sports-addicted former television producer who lives in Louisville.

In Pictures: The Kentucky Derby

By JOHN P. WISE
One Great Season

The Kentucky Derby season is a photographer's dream. The colors, the hats and of course the horses can fill up a shooter's memory cards faster than a 1,000-pound thoroughbred can circle the track at Churchill Downs.

But it's not all about the first Saturday in May. Derby season is nearly a month long in Louisville, and culminates at about 7 p.m. after the winner's circle has been cleared out and the lucky winners have cashed in their tickets.

I was lucky enough to shoot a few Derby days when I lived in the River City. It really is the best event I've ever covered and if you've never been, you are missing out. But if you can't get down there this year, here are a few pictures to show you what the day is all about.

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Will Bob Baffert Get In Todd Pletcher's Way?

Lookin At Lucky Best Bet
To Surprise Eskendereya

By JOHN P. WISE
One Great Season

Just when you think it's finally Todd Pletcher's year to win a Kentucky Derby, Bob Baffert of all people looks like he might have something to say about it.

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Pletcher, a four-time Eclipse Award-winning trainer who's missed on all 24 of his Derby entries, will start -- among possibly seven of his horses -- everybody's fave Eskendereya in the 136th run for the roses at Louisville's historic Churchill Downs on May 1.

Everybody except Baffert, that is.

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HORSE RACING: Your 2010 Kentucky Derby Survival Guide

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If most agree this is Pletcher's best chance to break through and take a memorable walk to the winner's circle around 6:30 p.m. that evening, then most probably agree that Baffert's Lookin At Lucky is the horse most likely to play the spoiler role.

Baffert, the silver-haired charmer who's won three of his own Eclipse Awards as the sport's top trainer, also has three Derby wins, by the way. And in each of those years -- 1997, 1998, 2002 -- he went on to win the Preakness two weeks later, setting up what turned out to be failed bids to complete the Triple Crown at the Belmont Stakes.

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Baffert is all too familiar with the roles of both upstart and heavy favorite. In 2001, his Point Given was supposed to dominate the Derby, but Monarchos surprised everyone not only by upsetting the field, but by doing so in blistering fashion. Monarchos covered the 1 1/4 miles in 1:59.97, the second-fastest Derby time ever, winning by nearly five lengths. Point Given went on to win the remaining legs of the Triple Crown, but that's like beating the Cavs with LeBron sitting and Shaq recovering.

The following year, without a prohibitive Derby favorite, many expected Harlan's Holiday or Medaglia d'Oro to take the roses. Whomever it was, few were expecting Baffert's War Emblem to lead wire to wire and even find another late gear to finish in 2:01.13, the ninth-fastest time ever. In style typical of a Baffert horse, War Emblem took the Preakness but disappointed in the Belmont.

So in just a few short weeks, after you place your safe $2-across bet on Eskendereya, don't forget to put some money down on Lookin At Lucky. To win. Six triumphs in eight starts (should have been seven but was asked to start at No. 13 in the November Breeders' Cup Juvenile), including a win on dirt at last month's Rebel Stakes (after a three-month layoff), make this horse a smart bet. After a bumpy showing at last week's Santa Anita Derby, Lookin at Lucky will be well rested before the first Saturday in May.

Also of note: Nearly $1.5 million in graded stakes earnings already this year is more than double the second winningest horse, Ken McPeek's Noble's Promise.

Welcome to Kentucky Derby Season 2010

By JOHN P. WISE
One Great Season

"And they're off" is often the call when racehorses storm out of the gate, and is used just as frequently this time of year by newspeople who mistakenly think it's a cute way to open a story about the arrival of Triple Crown season.

That's your first lesson -- free of charge -- for Derby season, and below are some other helpful hints to get you up to speed as the 136th Kentucky Derby is just 23 days away.

+ The Kentucky Derby site has the latest news on hopeful Derby horses, ticket information, past results, how to handicap and much more.

+ The Churchill Downs site offers a more in-depth look at Derby contenders and also offers betting tips.

+ Where the Derby is a national event if not a global one, then the Kentucky Oaks is considered Louisville's day at the races. The Derby always takes place on the first Saturday in May, and Oaks Day is always the day before. The race card is all fillies (female horses) and draws almost as big of a crowd as the Derby. Many locals prefer to hit the track for the Oaks and hit a Derby party as far away from Churchill as possible the next day.

+ Thoroughbred racing has somewhat of an esoteric following. Breeze through this site to learn the vernacular, then talk like you're a seasoned expert.

+ This is an excellent flash tutorial from the Daily Racing Form that shows you how to read, well, the Daily Racing Form and any other program.

+ In addition to the DRF, here's a good, all-encompassing resource called Bloodhorse.com.

+ What's with the hats?

+ Old friend Fred Cowgill is the Sports Director at WLKY NewsChannel 32, the CBS affiliate in Louisville. His sports blog is called Cowgill's Corner, and Wednesday's entry covered, who else, Eskendereya, the heavy favorite to rock the roses on May 1. Read more here:

+ Learn more about Eskendereya here.

+ Eskendereya is trained by Todd Pletcher, one of the best in the business. But despite winning four straight Eclipse Awards (given annually to the sport's top trainer) from 2004-07, he still hasn't won the Big One. Eskendereya could end Pletcher's drought. Read more about him here.

+ The most memorable story in recent horse racing history is Barbaro. He defeated a stacked field in dominant fashion in the 2006 Derby, but was put down nine months later because of illnesses developed after he broke his leg in the early moments of the Preakness. Many thought he had a great chance to win the Triple Crown. Read more about him here.

+ Everyone seemed to have loved the movie "Seabiscuit," but possibly my favorite horse racing movie was about that 2006 race, called "The First Saturday In May." Buy it today.

+ Want to make some Derby Pie for your next party? Here's the recipe.

+ Oh, it's that kind of party, you say? Well then, here's a Mint Julep recipe.

+ Lastly, here's a quick list of past Derby winners and past Triple Crown winners.