Former President Donald Trump visited the Kentucky Derby Saturday as he witnessed the victory of 80-to-1 longshot Big Strike and mass crowds returned to America’s most famous horse race.
Trump arrived at Churchill Downs for his $75,000-per-person fundraiser around 6 p.m. His entrance was shielded from the general public and the press.
The event continues his running feud with home state Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell.
He was ushered into the track through a side hallway that had been used by caterers and staff, where his entourage erected an American flag and a Kentucky flag to greet him.
Before he arrived, staff pulled curtains to corral the press and public away, guarded by FBI agents in camouflage with automatic rifles.
Whispers of Trump´s arrival passed through the crowd that backed up for twenty minutes. Some shouted his name, ‘Trump, Trump, Trump.’ Others seemed irritated at the delay.
Former President Donald Trump attends the 148th Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs
Trump arrived at Churchill Downs for his $75,000-per-person fundraiser around 6 p.m. His entrance was shielded from the general public and the press
He was ushered into the track through a side hallway that had been used by caterers and staff, where his entourage erected an American flag and a Kentucky flag to greet him
Before he arrived, staff pulled curtains to corral the press and public away, guarded by FBI agents in camouflage with automatic rifles
Whispers of Trump´s arrival passed through the crowd that backed up for twenty minutes. Some shouted his name, ‘Trump, Trump, Trump.’ Others seemed irritated at the delay
‘This is ridiculous,’ one woman grumbled.
Some got a glimpse of the former President through a short break in the curtains and a rumbled passed through the crowd.
Some cheered, some booed as the former president was whisked up to the high-priced clubhouses on the upper floors.
Then the curtains parted and everyone went on their way.
The event at the historic Churchill Downs track in Louisville is titled ‘MAGA, Again!’ and features a cast of well-known figures from Trump world, including former Florida Secretary of State and Trump impeachment lawyer Pam Bondi.
Also listed as members of the board of directors for the $75,000-per-plate event – $150,000 per couple – are former Trump acting director of national intelligence Ric Grinell and former acting attorney general Matt Whitaker.
Kimberly Guilfoyle, the girlfriend of Donald Trump Jr. and a former Trump campaign official, is listed as finance chair.
Trump is listed as a ‘special guest’ in the invite, which was tweeted out by Trump chronicler Maggie Haberman of the New York Times.
Former President Donald Trump is the ‘special guest’ at the fundraiser for his PAC being held at the Kentucky Derby, on the home turf of Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell
The event puts Trump in the political backyard of McConnell, who said after Jan. 6th that Trump was ‘responsible’ for the Capitol riot. The two men have broken off communications since, and Trump has repeatedly attacked McConnell in public statements, last year calling him an ‘unsmiling political hack.’
But McConnell said in a recent interview he would ‘absolutely’ vote for Trump.
McConnell opposed Trump’s second impeachment even as he gave a speech blasting his conduct.
McConnell has been a regular at the Derby, and last year put out a sentimental YouTube video celebrating its history and traditional mint juleps.
Trump has his own history with the Derby. He attended in 1999 along with Melania Trump.
Last year, Trump drew attention when he labeled winning horse Medina Spirit a ‘junky’ after the Thoroughbred tested positive for betamethasone, a banned substance, before being disqualified. Trump connected it to his attacks on the Biden administration.
‘So now even our Kentucky Derby winner, Medina Spirit, is a junky. This is emblematic of what is happening to our Country. The whole world is laughing at us as we go to hell on our Borders, our fake Presidential Election, and everywhere else!’ Trump wrote.
Longshot and final entry Rich Strike has crossed the finish line first in the 148th Kentucky Derby, outracing favorite Epicenter and Zandon.
Ticket prices are $75,000 per person
Sonny Leon celebrates after riding Rich Strike past the finish line to win the 148th running of the Kentucky Derby horse race at Churchill Downs
Rich Strike with Sonny Leon up wins the 148th running of the Kentucky Derby followed by Epicenter with Joel Rosario
The horse entered the field on Friday after Ethereal Road was scratched and started outside but charged down the stretch to pass the leaders and run the 1 1/4 mile in 2:02.61.
At a press briefing Saturday, Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear brushed off a question about former President Donald Trump´s rumored appearance at Churchill Downs, noting that Derby Day is ‘a day of festivity, where hopefully we put any divisions aside.’
‘Hopefully, we focus more on the race in front of us than any races in our future,’ Beshear added. ‘It´s a chance for everybody to see that Kentucky is welcoming to anyone who wants to come to this track, former president included.’
The Kentucky Derby is packed to full capacity after two years of COVID restrictions as glamorous racegoers flood the historic Churchill Downs racing complex.
About 150,000 spectators, dressed to the nines and fortified by mint juleps served in souvenir glasses, donned to the Louisville racetrack to enjoy the 14 races taking place on Saturday, including the 148th Kentucky Derby.
The race, which will see 20 three-year-old thoroughbreds run one and a quarter miles, is set to begin at 6.57pm eastern time.
Zandon, breaking from the No. 10 post, was named the early 3-1 favorite. The dark bay colt is trained by Chad Brown, who is looking for his first Derby win after six losses. It will be ridden by jockey Flavien Prat, who won the 2019 Derby aboard Country House.
Kentucky-bred Epicenter, running out of the No. 3 position, was the second choice in the morning line at 7-2. The horse will be ridden by jockey Joel Rosario, who won the 2013 Run for the Roses aboard Orb.
An Epicenter victory would be monumental for trainer Steve Asmussen who won more horse races than any other trainer in North America, but hasn’t managed to secure a Derby win. His Kentucky Derby record is 0-for-23.
Saturday’s race comes after the past two Derby winners were disqualified. The 2021 winner, Medina Spirit, was posthumously stripped of its victory after the horse tested positive for a steroid, betamethasone, that is legal in Kentucky but banned on race day. Famed trainer Bob Baffert denies the claims, but his career lies in ruins as a result.
Runner-up Mandaloun has since been declared the victor.
In 2019, winner Maximum Security was disqualified for interference and Country House wore the garland of red roses.
The Kentucky Derby is the first of America’s three Triple Crown competitions. It is followed by the Preakness Stakes at the Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Maryland on May 21 and the Belmont Stakes at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York on June 11.
The Kentucky Derby is packed to full capacity after two years of COVID-19 restrictions as glamorous racegoers flood the historic Churchill Downs racing complex
About 150,000 spectators, dressed to the nines and fortified by mint juleps served in souvenir glasses, donned to the Louisville racetrack to enjoy the 14 races taking place on Saturday
Two fans sporting colorful jackets fist bump at the Churchill Downs on Saturday
Fans enjoy themselves in the paddock area at the Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs
Fans pose for a picture in the grandstand prior to the running of the 148th Kentucky Derby
A race fan walks to the grandstand before the 148th running of the Kentucky Derby horse race on Saturday
Attendees carry alcoholic beverages while walking through the grandstand at Churchill Downs on Friday
Jockey Mitchell Murrill gives a high-five to Erickson, 6, from Minnesota, at the 148th Kentucky Derby
Jockeys ride around their horses before the start of the first race on the day of the 148th Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky
Racegoers returned to the Churchill Downs on Saturday, donning their most colorful outfits and head-turning hats.
After being postponed until Labor Day weekend in 2020 and held without spectators and then run last May with limited capacity, this year’s Run for the Roses is being held without pandemic restrictions.
That includes facemasks, which were hard to find as race fans packed the paddock area at the historic track.
As usual, women sported big, colorful hats and fascinators while men wore seersucker suits and other creative attire as cigar smoke wafted through the cool air under a cloudy sky.
Kentucky’s trademark bourbon flowed as well, particularly in mint juleps that filled many glasses.
A woman wearing a blue floral dress, bedazzled sunglasses and a giant floral hat is pictured at Saturday’s race
Fans watch one of the 14 races taking place at the Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky on Saturday
Actor Walter Maxfield Jones is seen in suit smoking a cigar and drinking champagne at the 2022 Kentucky Derby
A group of revelers carrying booze show of their Kentucky Derby race cards
A woman, Tamara Berlin-Imperato, sports a big pink hat while attending the 2022 Kentucky Derby
Fans talk with one another in the grandstand prior to the running of the 148th Kentucky Derby
Fans cheer as they watch race 2 prior to the running of the 148th Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs on Saturday
A woman and her family are pictured in their Derby Day attire
Two Derby attendees are seen sporting giant horse hats at Saturday’s race
Hayley Butler smokes a cigar in the infield before the 148th running of the Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs
The festivities, which began Friday, saw attendees showcasing eye-popping accessories as they gear up to watch what has been dubbed ‘the most exciting two minutes in sports.’
Spectators were seen wearing elaborate hats and outfits, taking selfies with horses, drinking and smoking cigars as Saturday’s races were underway.
The event housed notable celebrities, politicians and a fan sporting a tyrannosaurus rex costume were among those attending the annual event.
The red carpet saw the likes of Mario Lopez and former members of NSYNC, The Courier Journal reported.
Actor Walter Maxfield Jones was pictured in a gray suit smoking a cigar and double fisting alcohol, with a bottle of champagne in one hand and what appears to be a cocktail in the other.
Attendees are seen posing for pictures at the 148th Kentucky Derby
Race fans look at their racing programs in the plaza at Churchill Downs before the 148th running of the Kentucky Derby
Three men sporting colorful suits smile for a photo at Saturday’s Kentucky Derby
A woman poses with a horse mural in the paddock area at the Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs
A spectator takes a selfie with a horse at Churchill Downs on Saturday
Spectators walk the grounds prior to the running of the 148th Kentucky Derby
A woman sits on an Old Forester bourbon barrel holding a #KYDerby sign
A smiling woman is pictured at Saturday’s race in a large floral hat
Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear also walked the red carpet with his family, telling the news outlet he was picking Epicenter to take the W this year.
The governor also discussed why the Derby was so important to the people of Kentucky.
‘The great thing about the Kentucky Derby is that we welcome everybody into Kentucky,’ he said. ‘This is a day of festivity, where hopefully we put any divisions aside.
‘Hopefully we focus more on the race in front of us than any races in our future.’
Unlike Beshear, the t-rex, sporting a name tag that read Rexy, didn’t have much to say as he took its stride down the red carpet.
The dinosaur did, however, shake his head when asked if this was his first Derby.
U.S. Transportation Secretary and former presidential hopeful Pete Buttigieg was also seen at the race. He was seen visiting trainer Dale Romans’ barn with his mother.
Former President Donald Trump is also expected to make an appearance at the annual Run for the Roses.
Trump was scheduled to attend a super PAC fundraiser at the complex Saturday, but has yet to be seen.
Fans walk in the infield before the 148th running of the Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs
A woman wearing a purple floral hat and drinking a cocktail fortified by mint juleps is seen at Saturday’s race
Fans sit in the infield before the 148th running of the Kentucky Derby horse race at Churchill Downs on Saturday
Race fans talk in a concourse before the 148th running of the Kentucky Derby on Saturday
A woman is pictured donning a white, pink and purple floral hat
Josh Cito, of Denver, cheers on his horse in the fifth race of the day at Churchill Downs on Saturday
Fans are seen smiling and talking to each other in the grandstand on Saturday
The red rose garland awarded to the winning horse is brought into the Churchill Downs plaza
A group of men sporting colorful suits are seen conversing and checking their cell phones at the Churchill Downs racing complex
While several big names are turning up for Saturday’s festivities, the 148th Derby is missing horse racing’s household name: Bob Baffert.
Baffert, a Hall of Fame trainer with a record-tying six victories, was banned by Churchill Downs this year and next after Medina Spirit flunked a post-race drug test last year.
The Kentucky Horse Racing Commission also suspended the Hall-of-Fame trainer from all state racing facilities for 90 days and fined him $7,500.
However, his shadow still looms large over the Twin Spires as two colts previously trained by Baffert will be in the starting gate: Messier, the early 8-1 third choice named for hockey Hall of Famer Mark Messier, and 12-1 shot Taiba.
Taiba, the least experienced colt in the field, has the most experienced jockey on his back in 56-year-old Mike Smith. He could break Bill Shoemaker’s record as the oldest winning jockey.
Walter Maxfield Jones takes a selfie at the Kentucky Derby
A woman sporting a feather hat is seen reading her racing program
A fan wearing a hat featuring a horse mobile is seen sitting in the grandstand on Saturday
Cheering fans watch the fifth race of the day on Saturday
A young fan watches the horse in the paddock before the 148th running of the Kentucky Derby
The track is groomed before the first race of the day at Churchill Downs on Saturday
A man wearing a bunny hat is pictured at the Churchill Downs on Saturday
A woman in a floral print dress, sporting a matching hair piece, is seen on her phone ahead of Saturday’s big race
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