In a may without the Kentucky Derby, 'a way of life' is on hold

Saturday’s split-division Arkansas Derby races will run at Oaklawn Park in front of an empty grandstand, a stark contrast to the pageantry and spectacle that is a packed Churchill Downs, which postponed the Kentucky Derby until Sept. 5 in hopes of welcoming fans back under the Twin Spires.

For Hall of Fame jockey Gary Stevens, Starlight Racing founder Jack Wolf and trainer Tim Glyshaw, the absence of a “Run for the Roses” this Saturday in Louisville carries different meaning. They shared their normal Derby week routines with Horse Racing Nation and reflected on how this Saturday will change.

On three occasions, Stevens made the trip to Louisville that ended with him in the winner’s circle aboard the horse adorned with the garland of roses. He won the Kentucky Derby piloting the filly Winning Colors in 1988, then Thunder Gulch in 1995 and Silver Charm in 1997.

Inducted to the Hall of Fame for a career that spanned until 2018, Stevens rode 5,187 winners from 29,442 mounts, with his charges earning $258,217,768.

“There weren’t too many times I came in to ride at Churchill when I didn’t have a Derby mount,” Stevens said. “I had a home there, in Louisville. When I was younger, I’d come in a couple days before the Derby.

“When I got older, and I wanted to really focus and get in the mindset, I would take a red-eye flight from California on Sunday night and spend the whole week there.”

Stevens had 22 career Kentucky Derby mounts, tying him with Pat Day and Kent Desormeaux for the third most behind Bill Shoemaker (26) and Mike Smith (25).

The strategy behind Derby week changed for Stevens over the years.

“Early, I would try to ride some mounts during the week,” Stevens said. “The older I got, the less I wanted to ride during the week. So, I’d save myself for the Derby and Derby day.

Last year, for the first Kentucky Derby week since he retired in November of 2018, Stevens returned in a different role, including working with an event ticketing and hospitality provider.

“I did some work on Oaks and Derby day for the Quint Events Derby Experience and then I did some radio work for NBC telecasts and some (Horse Racing Radio Network),” Stevens said.

Stevens plans to return with Quint Events in September, should the Kentucky Derby be contested in front of spectators.

The Louisville resident Wolf understands the severity of the pandemic and is taking the resulting changes in stride.

“You can’t really complain much because of what is going on, so you can’t whine about not having a horse race,” Wolf said. “Everyone in Louisville wants it. It’s just a way of life. But let’s just hope we can get this thing to run on Sept. 5, with or without people in the stands.”

Though there will be no Kentucky Derby on Saturday, Wolf will take keen interest in the Arkansas Derby. Starlight Racing is a member of the ownership group behind the Bob Baffert-trained Charlatan, the first division's morning line favorite.

Wolf and his current partners will be taking in the race in one of the more pandemic-appropriate ways possible.

“We’ve got the Arkansas Derby on Saturday, Wolf said. "We’ll all get together on Zoom and watch that thing. We’ve got Charlatan running. When they take off, he’ll probably be 2-5 (odds). Hopefully he can salvage a win and get enough points to get in for September.”

For Glyshaw, the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in juggling the race schedules of the horses in his care at Tampa Bay Downs. 

“We’d love to (already) be at Churchill, because a lot of horses we’ve had in races down here were coming off layoffs and just getting ready to return," Glyshaw said. “We had some first-time starters getting ready to go, too. We planned to give them a race down here with the idea that they were going to run at Keeneland and at Churchill.”

The entire spring meet at Keeneland was canceled due to Centers for Disease Control guidances to deal with the pandemic.

Glyshaw wintered in Tampa for the first time after spending many of such seasons at Fair Grounds in New Orleans. In the summer months, he splits his horses between Indiana Grand and Churchill Downs.

Since the beginning of the COVID-19 outbreak, Glyshaw was unsure when he’d be able to move his horses and personnel back north.

“The thing that was the worst was not knowing when, not having a date," Glyshaw said. "And I’m dealing with the same thing in Indiana (at Indiana Grand). Until I hear from the powers that be, I’m hoping that Kentucky opening will help with the Governor of Indiana reopening.”

Glyshaw is more than ready to be back in Louisville. Finally, Churchill announced this week with approval from the governor, Glyshaw and other Florida horsemen can return to the backside barn area of the track between May 14 and 16.

“It’s home for me. It’s been home for me for the last 20 years. Just like any other racetrack you go to during the winter, you’re ready to get home. It’s going to be another two weeks, but at least we have a date now,” Glyshaw said.

“It’s a big deal for us to get up there. It sure feels good to drive to your own place that you’re not paying rent for. It will be fun to be back with the people that I didn’t get to see all winter that I usually see at Fair Grounds.”

“It’s very exciting,” Glyshaw said. “Last year we ran a couple horses on the undercard. We ran in a maiden special weight on Oaks and Derby day.

“We have a Derby party every year. We have a barn party that all the owners come to. I’m sure we’ll try to do that in September, but I’m sure it will be different. My owners are pretty much from Kentucky, Indiana, Illinois or Missouri. They are all from around that area. It’s important for them for us to get back up there.”

Wolf’s traditional festivities have been put on hold as well.

“Normally, on Friday we’d go to the Oaks and have everybody over to Pat’s Steak House,” Wolf said. “Then we’d have brunch on Saturday morning. We’d have family and partners from out of town in, and then we’d have a party back at the house. That’s been our M.O. whether we have a horse in or not over the last seven or eight years.”

But Wolf can’t help but to think of what this weekend at Churchill Downs could have entailed.

“If the Derby were going on, hopefully we’d be having a victory party.”