LEXINGTON, Ky. — Though the past few years of the Kentucky Derby have been riddled with controversy, the first Saturday in May has also provided plenty of golden moments during the 21st century.
There have been feel-good underdog stories, long-shot winners, colorful personalities and plenty of excitement on the track, all key ingredients in what makes the Derby such an enduring spectacle on the sporting calendar.
Here’s a look at some of the greatest memories in recent Kentucky Derby history.
2004: An undefeated fan favorite
It isn’t often that the race favorite is also the sentimental favorite.
But it also isn’t often that you see a horse like Smarty Jones, a Pennsylvania-bred colt with connections largely unknown to the Kentucky Derby scene.
His owners were husband-and-wife team Roy and Pat Chapman, and his trainer (John Servis) and jockey (Stewart Elliott) had never had a Derby starter.
A year after the gelding Funny Cide emerged as a popular Kentucky Derby winner, Smarty came to Churchill Downs with a perfect 6-for-6 record and won the race by nearly 3 lengths as the 4-1 favorite, becoming the first undefeated Derby winner since Seattle Slew. He went on to dominate the Preakness — winning by more than 11 lengths — before falling just short in the Belmont Stakes, caught in the stretch by long-shot Birdstone to extend a Triple Crown skid that dated to 1978.
It was a heartbreaking end to Smarty’s racing career — he was retired after the Belmont loss, his only defeat — but he emerged along the way as one of the biggest fan favorites in recent Kentucky Derby history.
2005: A lottery ticket payoff
A reminder that anything can happen on Derby Day came in the form of the gray colt Giacomo, who was in 18th place more than halfway into the race before a determined rally under jockey Mike Smith to light up the tote board at 50-1 odds.
The runner-up that day was 71-1 shot Closing Argument, and a $2 exacta bet paid $9,814.80. The $2 trifecta with 9-2 choice Afleet Alex in third paid more than $133,000, and the $1 superfecta paid $864,253.50 as 29-1 shot Don’t Get Mad got up for fourth place.
Those exacta, trifecta and superfecta payoffs remain the biggest in Kentucky Derby history, and bettors who like the long shots dream of such a payday this time every year.
2007: Familiar connections
The 2007 edition of the Kentucky Derby brought a return to the winner’s circle for one of the race’s most memorable figures and the start of an unprecedented run for one of the sport’s most colorful characters.
Street Sense, the 2-year-old champion in 2006, arrived in Louisville off a second-place finish in the Blue Grass Stakes, but he still went off as the 9-2 favorite and ultimately won the Derby under an expert ride from jockey Calvin Borel, who guided the star colt to an opening on the rail before taking over in the stretch. Street Sense was trained by Carl Nafzger, who previously won the Derby in 1990 with Unbridled.
In the closing moments of that race, Nafzger entered Derby lore by narrating Unbridled’s Derby-winning move to 92-year-old owner Frances Genter.
