This document provides summaries of interviews with several people involved in Kentucky Derby festivities, including a starting gate operator at Churchill Downs, the president of a non-profit organization that builds a float for the Pegasus Parade, a lead outrider at Churchill Downs, and the concierge at the Seelbach Hotel. The starting gate operator describes the process of loading 20 horses into the starting gate in just two minutes. The float organizer discusses lessons learned over 17 years of participating in the parade. The outrider explains that his job is like a lifeguard on the racetrack to catch loose horses. The concierge at the Seelbach Hotel shares stories of difficult guest requests and memorable past guests

1. 16 LOUISVILLE MAGAZINE 4.15
Button pusher015
2012 photo by Ted Tarquinio
Scott Jordan, 44, Churchill
Downs starting-gate operator.
“My group of 12 guys and
I learn everything we need to
know about the horses before
the actual race. We do our
homework. The trainers and
myself try to keep open com-
munication so we know when
a horse is comin’ in, so we can
‘stand’ him, which just means
that we get the horse to enter
the starting gate to fgure out if
he has any quirks. Does he want
to turn to the side? Does he calm
down if we hold up his tail? Do
we need two men to lock arms
and push him in? Some trainers
will have their horses practice
breaking from the gate. All those
things are written down and
recorded in our computer sys-
tem, so we — and all the other
starting-gate openers around
the country — know what works
best when it comes time for the
race. Some trainers choose to
stand their horses earlier in the
week, some the morning of the
Derby. But we need to know
all of this, because at Derby we
only have two minutes to load
20 horses.
“Before we start loading
them, ‘My Old Kentucky Home’
starts playing over the radio.
That’s when I give my crew
the lead-ins and the rundown
of their horses’ histories — so
any quirks and strategies that
worked when we stood ’em.
Then the horses go by for their
warm-up, and we watch for hal-
ters or anything they’re wearing
that we have to take off. Once
they’ve all gone by, I cross the
rail and get in my starter stand,
60 feet from the starting gate;
the starting gate is at the top of
the front stretch. I have a mic
up there if I need to talk to my
guys, and I can hear all of them.
On that day, we have a crew of
26, and they start loading the
horses two at a time — Nos. 1
and 11 load, Nos. 2 and 12, and
so on. No. 10 is the last to load
on the inside, and No. 20 is the
last horse in the gate. The back
doors manually latch once the
horses are in.
“My guy on 20 looks over all
the horses, down the line, and
makes sure no one is having
any trouble with a horse before
he takes 20 into the gate. So
he’s my eyes behind the gate.
No noise is good — if none of
the guys are hollerin’, if all is
quiet, then 20 comes in, and
it’s a go. My guys are standing
in this three-foot-wide gate on
four-inch-wide pontoons — steel
platforms about four feet off the
ground — and holding the reins
to keep the horse’s head from
turning until he breaks with the
bell. My guys — there are a lot of
broken fngers and bruises. You
don’t want to fght the horses in
the gate, and my guys know that.
It’s a 1,200-pound horse, and
even if you’re 200 pounds, you
aren’t gonna win. There are pads
on the gates, but they are just
over steel. Being on the starting
gate crew is one of the most
dangerous jobs on the track.
“From my stand, I look ’em
over one more time, and press a
button that sets the bell off and
cuts the juice on the magnets
that are holding those front
gates shut. And then they’re off
to the races.”
— Mariah Douglas
Bar lore
V.F.W. Iroquois Hill
Post 6182
992 Longfeld Ave.
(directly across from Gate 10 at
Churchill Downs)
Bardenter Jerry Seidl,
aka “Rico Suave”
“Thing we sell the most? Bud
Light. See, most of our clientele
are beer-drinkers. We raise the
prices about 50 cents come
Derby. We don’t want to gouge
these people.
“What’s really interesting
is when the horse people start
rollin’ in at the end of March.
Then we open at 8 a.m. and
people wait in the lot at 7:30.
At frst I thought it was strange,
drinking beer that early. Then
I remembered these guys
have been up since 2 or 3 a.m.
working with the horses. This is
their afternoon.”
Nowhere Louisville
1133 Bardstown Road
Owner Dave Mattingly
“Oaks Day is our Derby Day.
Last year, the line was down the
block past Akiko’s, on down to
Speedway. This year, DJ Mikus
will spin inside, and there will
be a DJ on the patio too. Red
Bull is bringing their MXT truck
— like an army truck with a DJ
booth in it. And the VIP area
— a whole other section of the
building currently undergoing
renovations — will be open. It’s
called Somewhere.” What it
takes to get in there? [Thumb
and fngers do the money
motion.]
Seidenfaden’s
1134 E. Breckenridge St.
Bartender Stephen Vessell
“Last Derby, a girl started crowd
surfng, and there was no way
she was going down. That many
people, it wouldn’t have been
possible.”
Outlook Inn
916 Baxter Ave.
Bartender David Theilen
“Vince Vaughn was here one
Derby. He had a bourbon-and-
Coke. No fancy bourbon, no
fancy Coke. I’ve served a bunch
of crazy people. What’s the
girl’s name that’s from here?
She’s in X-Men? I’m not good
with celeb names. She comes in
once or twice a year. She loves
our Bloody Marys. Even when
she’s out of town shooting for
months, she’ll blog, ‘Can’t wait
to get home and have a Bloody
Mary from the Outlook.’”
The Silver Dollar
1761 Frankfort Ave.
Bartender Rebecca Votel
(who now works at 8UP, the new
downtown rooftop bar in the
Hilton Garden Inn)
“It was Derby 2013. Tons of
people in the restaurant. This
group of handsome, tall, ft men
with their dates and a police
escort get seated in front of
the garage door. One of the
gentlemen was wearing the
most ridiculous yet awesome
suit — baby-blue with matching
shorts and shoes with knee-high
argyle socks. Flashy, but still
classy; he just pulled it off. Their
table was loud; not arguing,
but clearly a rise out of many
people in their party. Blue Suit
Guy proceeded to our fre pole
(which is still standing inside
the front of restaurant, an old
fre station) and tried to climb it.
Normally, we would’ve told him
to stop — insurance reasons, for
one! — but in the spirit of Derby,
no one said anything. The place
went nuts. Cameras out, people
standing on top of their booths.
Everyone was cheering this
dude on. When he realized
that his sweet blue dress shoes
were preventing him from good
footing, he took them off, argyle
socks and all. Finally, he made it
to the top, which honestly can’t
be more than 15 or 20 feet. The
whole place just erupted, like Ali
just won the fght or something.
We found out the whole table
were Houston Texans football
players, including quarterback
Matt Schaub. I don’t remember
the pole-climber’s position; I
think he was a tight end. Turns
out it was a bet. Not sure what
the wager was.”
— AC
016-020

2. 30 LOUISVILLE MAGAZINE 4.15
derbydinner.com
031 Float fanatic
Jockey
Kyleen Kelly is president and
chairman of the Pegasus Pa-
rade foat for Second Chance
@ Life. Second Chance, a
nonproft that raises aware-
ness about organ donation,
has had a foat in the parade
for the past 17 years. “My
son is a liver recipient of 15
years,” Kelly says, “and that’s
how I originally got involved.”
Regarding each year’s foat,
Kelly says, “We do everything
ourselves, and we even have
a liver recipient that pulls the
foat with his Ford truck!”
Here are a few parade lessons
she has learned over the years.
 “We have a budget of
$3,000 to work with, but one
year it came right down to the
wire and we didn’t think we
were going to have enough
money. We thought we would
have to dip into our treasury,
but U of L Lions Eye Bank came
on board at the last second and
saved us!”
 “This one time — during our
police escort from our warehouse
to the Kentucky Fair and Expo-
sition Center the Sunday before
the parade — we were going over
the railroad tracks, and a Greek
column fell right off the foat onto
the tracks. Thankfully, it was really
early in the morning, so we could
stop and pick it up without stop-
ping traffc. But you can bet for
the following years, we planned on
having a vehicle follow the foat.”
 “Well, now it’s a rule, but we
learned the hard way that you
can’t use paper on the foat. If
it rains, the paper is completely
ruined. You can use any plastic,
foam or wood, but no paper. So
we’ve gotten really handy with
lamination!”
 “Our foat last year was a
take on a day of duck hunting in
a feld. Our foat and all our par-
ticipants were in camoufage
and duck blinds. Cabela’s came
on board and supplied all the
equipment and three profes-
sional duck callers, like the ones
from Duck Dynasty! And at the
Tuesday evening preview party,
where we were to be judged
for the frst time, the judge of
the Tournament of Roses from
California came to look at our
foat, and those duck callers
started doing their calls, and
above us, a crowd of ducks ac-
tually started circling our foat!
And this judge just stood there,
totally amazed. He said that, in
California, they don’t have this.
He had to come to Kentucky to
learn about it.”
— MD
Gary Stevens, three-time
Kentucky Derby winner (1988 on
Winning Colors, 1995 on Thunder
Gulch and 1997 on Silver Charm).
What was that frst Derby win
like?
“Some kids grow up wanting to
win the Super Bowl or the World
Series or the Indy 500. And I grew
up wanting to win the Kentucky
Derby. No feeling like it, until you
win a second one and a third one.”
— DJ
032
PhotosbyGailKamenish

3. 32 LOUISVILLE MAGAZINE 4.15
034
Turf
“Lifeguard”
Photo by Chris Witzke
Photo byTed Tarquinio
036
Good ol’ boys
A train. An entourage. A slow plod on rails through
Kentucky countryside into Louisville. A quaint chug-
chug though Crescent Hill. A cocktail with breakfast?
Why not? It’s Derby Day. You’re on the Derby train. A
fancy train. Beshear’s train. Ladies dipped in pastels
fan hankies at tots waving from daddies’ shoulders.
Hankies are imagined. The rest is true. For the last
several years, Gov. Steve Beshear has orchestrated a
Frankfort-to-Churchill Downs (and back to Frankfort
post-Derby) luxury CSX train ride. Invite only, of
course. “Basically, it’s an economic-development tool,”
Beshear spokesperson Kerri Richardson says. “It’s
usually people we want to woo to Kentucky.” Cool. A
Woo Train. Choo, choo! Woo, woo! Richardson says
the Kentucky Economic Development and Tourism
cabinets host guests. So does CSX. Connected,
wealthy types pay for tickets. Woo, woo!
Richardson says the state never releases a who’s
who list of Woo Train passengers. Fortunately, the
Courier-Journal’s veteran state-government reporter,
Tom Loftus, has taken an interest and done some
digging. He explained in an email that Beshear has a
nonproft called First Saturday in May that raises pri-
vate contributions for his Derby festivities, including
a Friday night gala at the Governor’s Mansion and
the Woo Train. “Not exactly sure how it works. But I
think lobbyists and various others give set amounts to
this non-proft and in return get invited to the Friday
Party, get on the train, and get tickets out of the big
allotment Churchill gives to Governor’s Offce,” Loftus
writes in the email.
According to Loftus’ past Woo Train stories, Uni-
versity of Kentucky president Eli Capilouto has been
one of the hundreds of guests who have boarded. So
has Don Blankenship. That was back in 2012, before
Blankenship, the former CEO of Massey Energy, was
indicted on charges that he deliberately violated fed-
eral mine safety rules. But it was two years after the
2010 explosion that killed 29 coal miners at Massey’s
Upper Big Branch Mine in West Virginia. Blankenship
was apparently the guest of Jim Justice II, a billionaire
coal baron and West Virginia’s richest man, who also
owns a luxury casino resort in his home state. Isn’t this
Woo Train so feel-good?
— AM
Greg Blasi likens his job as lead
outrider at Churchill Downs to being
a lifeguard at a pool: He is on the track
for safety. Blasi, now 45, was working
for trainer Todd Pletcher in Florida
when Churchill called in 1999 about
an outrider position. “It’s about being
able to see what a loose horse is going
to do, so it helps to have livestock
and ranch experience,” he says. Part
of Blasi’s job is to catch loose horses
or stop a horse after a race when
jockeys can’t slow 1,200-pound
Thoroughbreds. He says the main
trick is getting ahold of the horse’s
head. “Their body follows their head,
so if you can get control of their
bridle, you get control of the horse,”
he says. Another trick: cornering
horses, approaching from the front. “If
you’re behind them, good luck, ’cause
you’re not gonna catch ’em; their
natural instinct is to try to outrun
you.” Blasi gives “99 percent” of the
credit to what he rides. “You need a
good horse. Otherwise it’s like you’re
trying to catch a horse on foot,” he
says. “I give the quarter horses that I
ride all the credit.”
— MD
035

4. 82 LOUISVILLE MAGAZINE 4.15
High life
Boom
Concierge
075
Larry Johnson, 70, concierge at the
Seelbach
Get any diffcult requests come Derby
time?
“The hardest thing is when people wait
until the last couple of weeks and expect
a concierge to be able to jump out and get
them a restaurant. By that time, it’s almost
impossible. I do know a lot of the owners
of restaurants, and I’m able to sometimes
fnagle them in, but for the most part, it’s
pretty hard to do.”
Any unruly guests?
“We had one guy one year — he got obnox-
iously drunk while he was here. He abused
a lot of people. He would go through the
lobby and cuss and do ungentlemanly-like
things. He won a bunch on the Derby.
Sunday morning, he walked through the
hotel giving out gratuities to everybody he
offended.”
How about good ones?
“One of my favorite stories is about Bob
and Beverly Lewis. They owned Silver
Charm, who won the ’97 Kentucky Derby.
But this was in 1995. They had this leather
luggage, and the handle broke on them.
Mr. Lewis called me, asked if I could get
it fxed. Saturday morning, it was just like
brand new.
“The frst time I met them, I didn’t even
know who they were. I got on the elevator,
and here was this couple in green Visa
jackets. I asked them, ‘What horse do you
like?’ Mr. Lewis showed me his jacket. On
it, it had Timber Country. And his wife
showed me her jacket, and it had Serena’s
Song on it. I said, ‘Sorry, but those two
horses don’t have a chance.’ They said,
‘What do you mean they don’t have a
chance?’ I said, ‘Well, Serena’s Song is a
great flly, but she’s gonna jump in and lead
most of the race, and probably at the top
of the stretch, she’s going to die from all
the pace. Timber Country comes from be-
hind. It’s going to be way too many horses
for him to get through.’
“About an hour later, Mr. Lewis came
down. That’s when he had the suitcase. He
said, ‘I think you’re an honest person. You
told us exactly what you thought about
our horses.’ (Thunder Gulch won, Timber
Country placed and Serena’s song fnished
16th.) Would you believe on Sunday he
called me over to the front desk and shook
my hand and put a hundred-dollar bill in
my hand? We remained friends up until
he died.”
— DJ
077
This year will be 53-year-old
Brian Beazly’s 30th straight
Derby Fest Balloon Race, though
he hates calling it a “race.” “Race
implies speed, and balloons have
nothing to do with speed. Balloon
competitions have everything
to do with accuracy,” the New
Albany native says. In this “hare
and hound balloon race,” a hare
balloon takes off. Ten to 15
minutes later, 25 to 50 hound
balloons chase (going, oh, 5 mph)
after it, not knowing the fnal
destination. The hare will land
and place a fabric X, 50 feet in
diameter, on the ground in an
open space (last year at E.P. “Tom”
Sawyer State Park). Then each
hound foats over the X, trying
to throw a small three-ounce
marker, attached to a six-foot
streamer with the pilot’s name on
it, closest to the center.
“Altitude control is very
precise. But moving left and right
is (largely) up to Mother Nature;
we have to go the way the wind
takes us,” says Beazly, who won in
1995. “When you climb up, you
will go a little more to the right,
and when you descend, a little
more to the left. So if I ascend
1,000 feet, I’m going to make a
big right-hand turn.” Beazly will
fy the Kosair Children’s Hospital
balloon in this year’s competition
(7 a.m. the Saturday before
Derby; the display of glowing
balloons is the night before at
the Fairgrounds). The balloons
will take off from Bowman Field,
chase crews following by car
and communicating through
walkie-talkies.
“We’ll spend about 45
minutes to an hour in the
air total, and you just never
entirely know where you’re
going to go. If the wind
switches, we switch. We do
always have to think about, ‘If
we take off here now, where
am I going to be in an hour?’
We have to fgure out which
way the wind is going, and then
we have a pretty good idea
of where we’re going to land
before we take off. There’s a lot
of pre-planning,” Beazly says.
“We don’t like surprises.”
— MD
076

5. LOUISVILLE MAGAZINE 4.15 135
verandaatnortoncommons.com
Hoof help
As a farrier, Justin Court
has been shoeing horses for
about 10 years. He works on
the road, from the back of
his truck, but his home turf
is a blacksmith shop on the
Churchill Downs backside
(one of the only racetracks in
the U.S. that still has such a
shop). Court — whose father
Jon is a professional jockey,
and whose grandfather
trained 2011 Derby horse
Archarcharch — grew up at
tracks and now tends to the
most important part of the
horse. “There’s an old saying:
‘No hoof, no horse,’” Court
says. “It all starts from the
foot and goes up from there.”
Modern aluminum
horseshoes weigh signif-
cantly less than the steel
used decades ago, and they
vary slightly in design and
size, some being wider for
more traction. Court says he
can usually guess a horse’s
shoe size by simply looking
at a hoof. “There’s actually
a science and an art to it,
believe it or not,” Court says.
“It starts with seeing if their
bone structure is straight
and looking at the way they
travel — the biomechan-
ics.” The ft of the shoes
is important because the
space between the horse’s
kicked-back front feet and
the hind hooves extending
forward can be fractions of
an inch. Court, facing the
backside of the horse, grabs
one of its legs, places it
between his own, and bends
it at the knee so he can hold
the hoof between his thighs.
Court examines the hoof’s
capsule (structural shell).
“You’re looking for a couple
different things — symmetry
or the lack thereof. The idea
is to level that foot as even
as possible,” Court says.
He removes the current
horseshoe (usually 30 to 40
days old) and begins to trim
the hoof of excess keratin
with nippers, which fttingly
resemble an oversized pair
of fngernail clippers. With
his stall jack (a portable anvil
on stilts) standing before
him, he takes a two-pound
shaping hammer and slams
it against the shoe to “mend
and shape it” for that specifc
ftting.
Next, if the shoe fts (har-
dy har har), he uses a small
hammer to nail it into place
(which he says doesn’t hurt
the horse). “There’s a fne
line — sometimes smaller
than a quarter of an inch —
to be able to drive that nail
in to hold the shoe in place,”
Court says. A process called
“clinch blocking” further
secures the shoe. Once all
four shoes are on nice and
tight, Court uses a rasp (an
oversized nail fle) to clinch
the protruding nails into
the hoof. The whole process
takes about 40 minutes. “I
want to make sure when
that horse walks away from
me, I don’t have to worry
about that shoe coming off,”
he says.
— MD
PhotobyNicholasKarem
114