Birth Certificates listing Kentucky in the Place Of Birth section may not have “candidate for Derby Fever” typed in small print but all such documents might as well have that phrase spelled out in bold letters.
Every Kentuckian understands and accepts the probability that like clockwork, the annual disturbance will spread throughout the Commonwealth striking old and young alike with effects beginning to be felt around the last week of April, well before Louisville’s segment of racing’s Triple Crown is run.
In recent years, a sudden onset of the Fever has been attributed to the placement of spectator bleachers along the Broadway Kentucky Derby Festival’s Pegasus Parade route. Lasting until a new three-year-old champion is led into the Winners Circle to receive the coveted blanket of roses on the first Saturday in May, Derby Fever is considered to be highly contagious.
Whether or not DNA is involved in the seasonal malady is a matter for future scientific studies to prove or disprove. Until such time as theories are exhausted and papers published, Kentucky residents intend to go about their business of treating the malady with traditional and time-honored remedies.
Relief measures have been known to include country ham, burgu and the never to be forgotten Derby Pie and Mint Juleps. Parades, Balls, Bar-B-Q s, Brunches, and Breakfasts as well as races from Hot Air Balloons to Steamboats and many items in between contribute to the sport of kings extravaganza of activities devoted versatile calendar keepers in the area manage to attend.
Smiles, laughter, and oftentimes bald-faced lies (especially during the Great Steamboat Race) accompany some of the other more frivolous events when beds or wine-glass racers careen around roped-off areas.
Children sense the heightened excitement when jonquils and tulips bloom in spring They are familiar with phrases like, “white shoes and purses after Derby” and “never plant tomatoes before Derby” and from an early age are taught to consider themselves distant cousins to those Steven Collins Foster noted in his song dear to the hearts of Churchill Downs racetrack fans, “the young folks roll on the little cabin floor”
Growing to adulthood, Kentuckians are pleased to pass on that nostalgic image to another generation and are sometimes reluctantly forced to embrace Foster’s meaning of “By and by hard times come a knocking at the door”. But during the weeks preceding the Derby’s mile and a quarter race, hard times are forgotten and many favorite Derbys are remembered.
Quoting dosages and trading tips, every neighbor and friend who adopts the confidential swagger of a knowledgeable horse expert can be counted on to shrug off a photo finish losing ticket from the Tenth Race on the program by mumbling, “I’ll do better next year.” Winners and losers smile and wave goodbye as out-of-town visitors leave the Commonwealth. Residents and visitors alike are confident the saga will continue because once again, that Derby Fever embraces all with equal force.
Churchill Downs with its distinctive Twin Spires is located on Central Avenue in Louisville, Kentucky but on that first Saturday in May, wherever in the world a Kentuckian stands, sits, or leans against a wall to watch or listen to the Kentucky Derby when the bugler sounds the “Call To The Post” and the strains of “My Old Kentucky Home” drift across the track, the grounds and grandstand of Churchill Downs are no farther than a hoof beat and heartbeat away.