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"The Thoroughbred" | Newsletter Sign Up | In the News
November 2008
CHURCHILL DOWNS UNVEILS OFFICIAL EVENT LOGOS FOR 2009 KENTUCKY DERBY AND KENTUCKY OAKS
With the 2009 “Run for the Roses” only six months away, Churchill Downs recently unveiled the official logos for Kentucky Derby 135 and its companion event, Kentucky Oaks 135. The Kentucky Derby and Kentucky Oaks 135 event logos will adorn all officially licensed merchandise, including apparel, gift items and tickets.
Churchill Downs also introduced non-dated versions of the Kentucky Derby and Kentucky Oaks logos that are similar in color and design to the dated versions for the 2009 events. Both non-dated marks feature a golden horseshoe with the signature flowers associated with each event, a red rose for the Kentucky Derby and a pink stargazer lily for the Kentucky Oaks, emerging from their respective centers. Churchill Downs will use the non-dated marks for a variety of applications, including its line of officially licensed merchandise and other product offerings currently in development.
“The new Kentucky Derby and Kentucky Oaks logos provide a fresh and updated graphic look for our more than century-old events and introduce artistic elements and color palettes unique to both the Derby and Oaks brands that will be incorporated into future logos to create a sense of continuity from year to year,” said Julie Koenig Loignon, vice president of Churchill Downs’ Entertainment Business Unit. “In addition to the logos that will be directly associated with the 135th editions of the Kentucky Derby and its sister race, we also chose to create non-dated, iconic marks that would represent the Kentucky Derby and Kentucky Oaks brands on a year-round basis.
Adapted from Churchill Downs Press Release by Jennifer Stevens
ONE ON ONE WITH JOHN HENNEGAN, PRODUCER OF "FIRST SATURDAY IN MAY"
... Horseracing is “the greatest sport you’re not paying attention to." -- John Hennegan
John and Brad Hennegan, brothers from Long Island, grew up in the sport of horseracing. Their father was a horseracing judge for 37 years, so it was no surprise that John and Brad fell in love with the sport from a very young age. John says that horseracing is “the greatest sport you’re not paying attention to.” In the 1950s, horseracing along with boxing were on top when it came to popularity. Unfortunately, over time the popularity has decreased. It’s such an exciting sport, but so many people do not know anything about it. This is why John and Brad decided to create “The First Saturday in May”. They wanted to bring back energy to the sport and create new fans.
According to John, the inspiration for “The First Saturday in May” came from the basketball documentary “Hoop Dreams”, a film that follows two Chicago high school students and their dream of becoming professional basketball players. They wanted to create a “Hoop Dreams” at the racetrack. And so was born “The First Saturday in May”.
“The First Saturday in May” follows 6 trainers on the 2006 Kentucky Derby trail, 5 of which amazingly enough made it to the Kentucky Derby. Although the overall concept of the film is about horseracing, John feels it is really about the people. It has the themes of family and the American competitive spirit.
The overall process of creating this documentary took almost 2 years to complete. Pre-production began in 2005 and they finished in early 2007. John and Brad had over 500 hours of footage and had a lot of different versions before they settled on the final product. In fact, John says they got extremely lucky filming when they did because Barbaro, one of the horses they were following in the film, ended up winning the 2006 Kentucky Derby.
John and Brad wanted to create a film that was simple, yet entertaining; more of a “horseracing 101”. They wanted to bring awareness and let people know that they didn’t have to be knowledgeable or even a fan of horseracing to enjoy the film. In fact, John says that the target audience was actually the “new fan”. According to John, one of the best things that came out of the creation of this film was when they were on the film festival circuit. People who weren’t fans before, now wanted to experience it.
John says, “The Kentucky Derby should be on everyone’s bucket list” of things to do in their lifetime. “If there is ever a time to do it, do it now… what’s stopping you”? People who live outside Louisville and outside the horseracing bubble, don’t realize how great of a celebration it is, and everyone should go at least once in their life.
If you want to take a closer look at the sport of horse racing, we are offering “The First Saturday in May” to Thoroughbred subscribers for only $15 (includes S&H).
To order, please reply to this email or you may call Quint at (866) 834-8663. To get more information about The First Saturday in May and to check out the trailer, please visit www.thefirstsaturdayinmay.com.
MIDSHIPMAN BECOMES EARLY KENTUCKY DERBY FAVORITE
By BETH HARRIS, October 25, 2008
ARCADIA, Calif. (AP) — Bob Baffert is back in the Kentucky Derby picture.
Midshipman put the white-haired trainer there with a 1 1/4-length victory in the $2 million Breeders' Cup Juvenile on Saturday.
Baffert and his wife, Jill, jumped up and down as Midshipman neared the finish line in the lead, then embraced when the 2-year-old crossed first.
"I'm just enjoying the moment," he said. "It's hard to come along with a horse like this. He's going to get much better as he gets older."
The win was Baffert's sixth in the Breeders' Cup and second in the Juvenile, having trained Vindication to victory in 2002. Jockey Garrett Gomez earned his second win and third of the two-day event.
Midshipman became the winter book favorite for next year's Kentucky Derby, a race Baffert has won three times but not since 2002 with War Emblem.
Bred by Houston Texans owner Bob McNair and owned by Darley Stable, Midshipman has won 3 of 4 career starts. He paid $9.20, $4.40 and $3.20.
Midshipman ran 1 1-16 miles in 1:40.94, a stakes record on the new synthetic surface at Santa Anita.
Read the entire article »
What Our Clients Are Saying
"Thank you so much. The entire weekend was a wonderful experience. We loved the accommodations and location. The tour was great also. Thank you again and I will definitely call you in the future for events." — K.P.
"It was awesome. We had a great time. Thanks again." — D.Y.
Fun Facts
An estimated 35,000 Foals are born annually –at most 20 can become Kentucky Derby entrants.
African American jockeys won 15 of the first 28 runnings of the Kentucky Derby (1875 – 1902).
From 1980 to 1999, the favorite for the Kentucky Derby went 0 for 20. Twenty straight years of picking losers. That changed in 2000, when a favorite, Fusaichi Pegasus, finally won.
Interested in Attending?
Interested in attending Kentucky Derby 135? We are excited about our Kentucky Derby® and Kentucky Oaks® 135 package offerings! Keep visiting Derby Experiences to check out updated pricing information and special offers, or you can email us at derbyinfo@quintevents.com.
Interested in Other Sporting Events?
Bring your company to Super Bowl XLIII or other NFL On Location events by checking out our packages at QuintEvents.com/NFL.
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For more information, contact us, or call your Derby Experiences Representative at 1 (866) 834-8663.
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