User:MAD0128/1967 Kentucky Derby

The Origination Of the Kentucky Derby
This horse race is run annually on almost always the first Saturday in May at Churchhill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky. The idea of introducing the Kentucky Derby was first founded by the grandson of William Clark who introduced the idea after traveling to Europe and seeing a horse race. There needed to be a significant amount of donations and funding to develop Churchill Downs and when it first opened it was considered to be an elitist event and was not intended to be open to the common public to watch the races. The Kentucky Derby was not originally intended to be watched by those that were not in a high social class or had little to no networking connections. In the early 20th century, racism was still influential and impactful on society. In the early races of the Derby, there was a rise in the African-American community in the equestrian industry, and they thrived winning a significant amount of the early races. The winner of the first race that was run was a man named Oliver Clark, an African-American jockey. The presence of the African-American community intertwined with the Derby created a sense of pride and made a statement proving African-American presence in sports in general. The Kentucky Derby has become one of the most well-known and more competitive horse races, as it also has a connection for there to be a triple crown win, meaning that the horse that has won the Derby will go on to win the Belmont Stakes and the Preakness Stakes, which has been named one of the most impressive races that a horse can win. There is a significant difference within the horse racing industry, especially within Derby season. There are races that are open to the public and there are certain races that are only open to those in the upper class

The Traditions of the Kentucky Derby
The Kentucky Derby has a specific culture that it's described with. Kentucky and horse racing culture has been impacted with small and large traditions that have become a staple of the race everywhere. Before every annual race, "My Old Kentucky Home" was written by Stephen Foster in the mid-1800s. Although recently has been under scrutiny after it was played without words and implemented a message that could be considered offensive. However, singing this song has created a sense of pride for Kentuckians who hear and sing it every year, celebrating the great tradition and evolution that the race has created through the years. It also introduces aspects of Kentucky culture to those who are not from Kentucky and are either watching the race for pleasure or have a connection to the breading, training, or ownership of one of the horses running themselves. The race has now been known as the "Run for the Roses" as after every race the winner is gifted with a ring of roses, celebrating their win. The Derby is not only its own race but it has been classified as a season, the Oak's race comes the Friday before Derby, which is the race similar to the Derby but with the female horses known as fillies, younger horses who are not yet able to be classified as a dare but still can run a race. Derby culture in Kentucky can be seen within fashion, females, and males through the years have developed a tradition of wearing large extravagant hats with bright colors, suits with fun colors and patterns, often flower or horse themed have also been frequently seen in Derby culture through the recent years. The mint julep has been the staple cocktail of the Derby for many years, its ingredients including bourbon, sugar, water, and cubes or shaved ice. Kentucky is known as a state, specifically Louisville distilleries for their mass-produced, bourbon county. Many of the people that are considered elite when attending the Kentucky Derby are those that are high up in the liquor and spirits industry, as alcohol has made an imprint on not only Kentucky but also horse racing culture. The cigar industry has also been an aspect of Kentucky Derby culture, many consider seeing the Derby, specifically men that are in a higher class "smoking cigars everywhere". Cigars have been known as a celebratory social moment in Derby season, Four Roses distillery as well as other big companies involved in the spirits industry.

African-American's and the Kentucky Derby
African-Americans were very successful in the first years after the Kentucky Derby became a largely spectated and popular event. Many jockeys such as Isaac Murphy and Marlon St. Julien were given very little praise and the praise primarily went to the horse and other white parts of the team such as the trainer or the breeder. African-Americans helped to show the rest of the country the excitement and competitiveness of the sport but were given no credit even if they had just won the triple crown. Along with Derby season in Kentucky in 1967, there also was a housing crisis that targeted African-Americans heavily and had the potential to make the Derby possibly as far as to say violent.

The Influence of Race Relations in Horse Racing, Martin Luther King Jr, 1967
African Americans began to thrive in the horseracing industry specifically in the Kentucky Derby, which in turn created a sense of accomplishment and black pride, but quickly lead to prejudice towards African American jockeys and put them at a disadvantage. The Kentucky Derby and the horse racing industry, in general, has only gotten more popular and more competitive through the years and Kentucky has been put on the map for one of the most elite and exciting horse races in the country. Not only does the Kentucky Derby connect to specific events only seen in Kentucky, but the excitement doesn't stop after the two minutes the horses are running. After winning the Kentucky Derby, horses then proceed to enter the Preakness Stakes and Belmont Stakes which come together to form the triple crown. The top four horses from each race proceed to the next and the prize and recognition of winning all three races are seen to reward the horse's team with over a million dollars. During 1967 in Louisville Kentucky there was a large influx of protests impacting the civil rights movement as there were issues with oppression in the housing market. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. arrived in Louisville right before the race had begun, instead of rioting during this time period, he decided that in the light of the Derby, he would hold a peaceful protest in downtown Louisville so that there would not be violent tensions raised. The following year, King arrived in Memphis to discover a very similar situation in which he had seen at the Derby the year prior. He was assassinated but the impact of the race the year before still lingered and after a horse, a Gold Cup race, all of the earnings were donated to King’s widow, Coretta Scott King.

The Specifics of the 1967 Kentucky Derby
The winner of the Kentucky Derby of 1967, a horse named Proud Clarion was brought in from Lexington, and although he had a good track record at the beginning of his career, as the Derby grew closer the excitement for the horse to win went down and he was now seen as an “underdog”. 1967 is significant in the aspect that there was an assumption that the winner of the Derby would be the horse that was significantly betted on, and as presumed to do well before the race began. Through Derby and horse racing history in general, this aspect of being “the underdog” has played a significant part in analyzing horse racing and how betting changes and works in that aspect. Betting and gambling on horses before the race has become a million-dollar industry and circulates a significant amount of money into the Kentucky economy.

The 1967/Overall Kentucky Derby and the Economy
After the 1967 race, gambling on horses changed, therefore changing the Kentucky economy based on the equestrian industry. While betting has changed after the 1967 race, it is typically seen that a few certain horses are going to lead and are going to be the horses that have the highest amount of people voting on them, but there was also an aspect that was introduced that influenced Derby go-ers to think about the horses that are not in the spot.light and their abilities.

How the Horse Industry has Changed
Overall in the horse racing industry, horses along with other animals have become significantly more expensive to buy, breed and sell. Starting at the Civil War, horses were only used to trail wagons and bring supplies faster and easier to soliders as well as the people on the homeland. There were many horses that were not seen as effective or good enough, and they were oftentimes killed in battles as there was no one there that valued them enough to protect them. However, after the Civil War had ended, there was a huge growth in the horse industry as many farmers were starting to raise and train horses again, like before the Civil War. Shortly after World War II, there was a decline in the horse industry, many ponies and younger horses were not being bread and there became to be a steep, drastic delcine. Many farms were just seen as places to grow food or other agricultural products, rather than to raise animals. As 2002 was fastly approaching, there was an incline of the number of horses living in the United States, specifically being trained. Closer to the late 2005 era, many changes were made within the Animal and Plant Industry to benefit animals and create healthy lifestyles for them. Show-jumping has become a huge aspect of horse riding culture. Much of the future of the horse riding industry is placed on leadership, planning and breading, and is most likely going to take a turn for the better the more that involvement is encouraged.