Today is the first Saturday in May, and where I live, in southern Indiana just across the river from Louisville, Kentucky, that means only one thing: it’s Star Wars Day! May the Fourth be with you!
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I kid, I kid. Of course the big event is really the Kentucky Derby, the first leg of the Triple Crown, the fastest two minutes in sports, etc. etc. etc. I’ve made my unofficial pick (Honor Marie), and we’ll be watching on the Peacock streaming service at 6 or so thanks to a very informative article in the Los Angeles Times that lays out the timeline for the whole shebang. For those not from the area or who haven’t read the article, here’s a quick summary:
There’s various other horse races throughout the day, but I don’t know anything about them. Then a little after 6 they bring out the Derby horses. Between then and 6:28 we see the horses walk from the barns to the paddock, and the guys on TV talk about the favorites and the longshots, things about odds and so forth.
Eventually we get to 6:44 and the traditional “rider’s up” call, which tells the jockeys they can get on their horses (or so I hear). This year the call is being delivered by Martha Stewart. I don’t know why.
Right after that is the official Call to Post, which is when a guy with a bugle comes out and plays it. This is really cool, actually; I’d love to play the bugle. Then everyone sings My Old Kentucky Home, which during the pandemic was solely instrumental and made everyone sad. After that the horses parade out to the starting gate, and at home we all exclaim variously with '“Oooh, he’s pretty!” and “Ooh, I like him!” and “Oh, that guy doesn’t look like he’s ready to go; he looks ready for a nap.”
Then at a precise time, the gates open, the horses take off, and they run really really fast around the track. In past years, this is the part where, for instance, American Pharoah would peel away from the rest and leave them all behind. Also, the horses that I pick tend to take a more leisurely approach to the race. One year my pick was Thunder Snow, who upon starting promptly decided that the Derby really just wasn’t for him and that he’d much rather do something else instead. So it goes.
Anyway, once the winning horse gets across the line (and we all pause a minute to make sure it was a legit win1, everything is cool and valid-like2, and the horses are okay3), everyone celebrates, there’s an excited “How does it feel to win the Derby?” interview with the jockey, and we all start wondering whether this will be another American Pharoah, or at least Justify (since American Pharoah was really a once-in-a-generation horse. In other words, is this the year someone wins the Triple Crown, the combined three races of the Derby, the Preakness, and the Belmont?
I don’t know, and neither will anyone else until we do the first one, so stay tuned for tonight, folks!
Writing Update
In personal news, my current novel is at 46K, so we’re closing in on the endgame if you will, and the latest superhero serial 2.17 Seconds Into Never rolls on apace! Tune in tomorrow for episode 4!
Also, I’m thinking about doing something with my Jane the Igor character, last seen in Science!, as I have a backlog of Jane the Igor stories over on Wordpress that I should bring over. Hm.
Closing Time
Circling back to the opening thought for today, here’s one of my all-time favorite music covers: a Star Wars medley by the Piano Guys! Enjoy!
Until next time,
Michael
2019, Maximum Security crossed first but then the officials argued for 20 minutes and then he was disqualified for interference because he bumped into another horse and it went all the way up to the Kentucky Supreme Court. Not fun.
2021, Medina Spirit won but disqualified to a positive test for a steroid. I forget who got it by default after that.
2008, Eight Belles came in second but collapsed after the race; her injuries were so severe that she was euthanized right there on the track. Terrible thing. They renamed one of the races on the day of the Kentucky Oaks for her.