The crowd is almost double the number who head to Aintree for the UK’s Grand National each April, and like the flagship British event, the Kentucky Derby is a magnet for the stars, with dressing up in finery the order of the for all attendees.
About 15m watch the race on television, with up to $300m being placed in bets.
And yesterday Bill Mott’s Sovereignty provided Sheikh Mohammed’s Godolphin operation with a first Kentucky Derby success at Churchill Downs, in the 151st running of the race in Louisville. The race followed heavy rain and saw a soft, sloppy track.
Mott told NBC Sports: “I saw him gearing up when he left the half-mile pole – he started to pick up his momentum. I lost him a little bit, but he made up a lot of ground in a hurry. He’s done well, he’s a great horse and he comes from a great organisation. I can’t say enough about the horse and the organisation that started him out and did everything to make this happen. It’s great and it’ll take a while to sink in.”
21. Chase Winovich
The former American footballer was a star in stripes | Getty Images for Churchill Downs