The 151st Kentucky Derby begins on Saturday, May 3. AccuWeather speaks with Kevin Kerstein of Churchill Downs Publicity on the upcoming race and how recent weather events have impacted preparations.

Louisville

The 151st Kentucky Derby is set to take place, with excitement building among fans and participants alike. Kevin Kirstein of Churchill Downs Publicity shared insights into the celebration and the impact of recent weather events on preparations for the event. Despite some initial disruptions due to severe weather in Kentucky, conditions are now expected to be favorable for the Derby and its preceding event, Kentucky Oaks Day.

The Kentucky Derby is renowned globally, featuring traditional elements such as the playing of "My Old Kentucky Home" and a range of unique storylines each year. Of particular interest this year is the participation of a horse named Chunk of Gold, trained by 32-year-old Ethan West. In a contrasting narrative, 72-year-old trainer Lonnie Briley will present Cole Battle, signifying a significant milestone in his long career in horse racing.

While weather can significantly impact race conditions, the current forecast suggests a dry track for both events. As the weekend unfolds, attendees hope for clear skies to enjoy this iconic American sports event. Horses and trainers appear well-prepared, ready to deliver an unforgettable spectacle at Churchill Downs.



Weather outlook for the 151st Kentucky Derby

Tomorrow is the 151st running of the Kentucky Derby. And as always, it's the first step towards a possible triple crown. Kevin Kirstein with Churchill Downs joins us. Kevin, so good to see you. Good morning, guys. Thanks for having me. Well, we've done a lot of severe weather stories in Kentucky this year. So it's great to talk about something different, horse racing. Can you share some of the excitement statewide about this event? I'll tell you what, it is just a true celebration of everything Kentucky. And just a worldwide event here at Churchill Downs. And we're excited to be on the world stage, both today and tomorrow. Today is Kentucky Oaks Day. We're expected to have more than 100,000 people here in the stands than tomorrow for Kentucky Derby Day. It's just been, you mentioned the severe weather here in the Commonwealth. And it's deterred a little bit of the statewide Derby celebration plans early on. But now it looks like it's going to be a great two days of racing. And tomorrow for Kentucky Derby Day, we're just really excited to be on the world stage here the next 48 hours. And weather, of course, can impact any race. What are you expecting temperature-wise? And how are teams and trainers preparing? Well, I like to say I'm an average handicapper. I'm an even worse meteorologist. So I'm going to leave the weather forecasts up to you guys. So hopefully you can give us some good news for the next two days. Today it looks pretty nice outside. Hopefully the rain will hold off. And it's always a very nerve-wracking thing for the trainers who are training their horses to compete in the top race of their lives. And now to deal with the weather forecast, some of these trainers are OK with their horses running on a fast track or if there's some moisture in it. Some have never experienced that before. So it just gives a little bit of the extra nerves in their stomachs when their horses are maybe competing on an off-race track. But right now, everything looks dry for today's Kentucky Oaks Day. And hopefully the same can be said for tomorrow's Derby Day. Yeah, I'll dive more into the forecast coming up. But the Kentucky Derby itself, it's such a tradition. What is the same? And then what will be new about this year's 151st race? There's so many rich traditions that are part of Kentucky Derby Day, from the playing of my old Kentucky home to just the celebration of just the iconic American sports event. And the storylines coming into the Derby are just so unique every single year. There's two really special storylines this year that I'm really focused in on. One is a horse named Chunk of Gold who's trained by a 32-year-old trainer, Ethan West. He's never been on the limelight in the world stage. The horse was only purchased for $2,500. And then you have 72-year-old Lonnie Briley who trains Cole Battle. And Cole Battle, just a rags-to-riches story for Lonnie Briley, who's been in the horse racing industry his entire life. And he's just finally getting into his top form of his career, training for the first time on his own. So really looking forward to those two stories and the storylines that will develop here on Kentucky Derby Day. But from the traditions to the individual storylines on these horses, it's shaping up to be a great Kentucky Derby 151. I have a little interesting question for you. My brother is a huge horse racing fan. And he tells me when you look at these horses, they know they're athletes and they know what they're expected to do. Do you agree with that? I think so. I think when you watch these horses preparing, so over the last probably six or seven days when they're preparing in the mornings training for this race, they're sort of cool, calm, and collected. And then the last couple of days, these trainers have taken their horses over here during the races and schooled them in the paddock so they get used to the crowd. And you can tell there's a little bit more amped up. They're, you know, they puff out their chest a little bit. Their ears are doing a little bit more attentiveness. So you can tell, I think, from the horse's body language that they know that they're ready for the biggest race of their life. I know they're athletes, but they're so cute. We're seeing a video of them on your screen and they're just beautiful, beautiful animals. I feel excited already, such a fun event. And just hearing from you, amazing. So Kevin Christine with Churchill Downs, thank you so much for joining us on AccuWeather Early, and we hope it's a really successful weekend. Thank you guys for having me, and hopefully you can give us some good news about this forecast.

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