Kentucky Derby 2020 Guide: Start Time, Streaming, Positions and More

An African-American jockey, Oliver Lewis, won the inaugural Kentucky Derby in 1875. He claimed victory aboard Aristides, a horse trained by Ansel Williamson, who was born into slavery. In the years after the Civil War, Black jockeys dominated horse racing, winning 15 of the first 28 Kentucky Derbys and becoming celebrities, much like today’s N.B.A. stars.

In their statement, Churchill Downs officials hinted at changes.

“We recognize that people in our community and across our nation are hurting right now,” it said. “The atmosphere of the Kentucky Derby will be different this year as we respond to those calls for change. This will be a Derby unlike any other. As it should be.”

There was some speculation as to whether or not “My Old Kentucky Home” would be played as the horses come on to the track, as has been tradition since 1921. The song, written by Stephen Foster, has a complicated history. The original lyrics, according to Smithsonian Magazine, were not a tribute to the Old South but a condemnation of Kentucky slave owners “who sold husbands away from their wives and mothers away from their children.”

In a tweet Friday, the Churchill spokesman Darren Rogers said the song, indeed, would be part of the pre-race pageantry. But moment of silence will take place before the playing of the song.

“After careful consideration, My Old Kentucky Home will be played this year prior to the @KentuckyDerby,” Rogers posted on the racetrack’s official public relations account. “However, the 100-year tradition of singing the state song of Kentucky has been thoughtfully appropriately modified will be preceded by a moment of silence and reflection.”

Article source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/09/05/sports/horse-racing/kentucky-derby-time-stream-watch-channel.html