European Horse Trainer Describes "Chaos" at Kentucky Derby
@KentuckyDerby[/caption]
Instead of experiencing his first Kentucky Derby victory, Irish trainer Aidan O'Brien encountered chaos at the sloppy Churchill Downs.
O'Brien's horse Mendelssohn entered the race with 5-to-1 odds, the second best in the field. The Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf Champion had an impressive 18-length victory in the UAE Derby, his first ever race on dirt. Dirt is one thing; muddy slop is a completely different challenge.
The slop didn't just surprise the $3 million colt, it surprised his trainer. O'Brien's first-person account of the event on Racing UK is fascinating.
I’d been before but I have never experienced anything like yesterday. I was a bit shell-shocked.
It was mad. There were so many people, so many cultures, I saw a preacher at one stage.
It’s the crowd of two Cup finals all together. Go into the middle of it - feel it to believe it.
We won’t expect anything different. Ever again.
To compare the event to a European soccer final is quite the compliment, however, I can't believe O'Brien had never seen a poncho before.We weren’t prepared for the level of atmosphere. There were around 170,000 people; all wet; all screaming. There was rain coming from everywhere and everyone was drowned.
Everyone had these plastic things on then - I cannot explain it to you. There were people and creatures everywhere and he was mind-blown by the whole thing.
He (Mendelssohn) was upset. He’s only a baby horse and he was a bit slow to learn last year; a little bit whinny. He’s grown up along the way and it would have been a good experience for him.
Discuss This Article
Comments have moved.
Join the conversation and talk about this article and all things Kentucky Sports in the new KSR Message Board.
KSBoard