After 50 years at Churchill Downs, Bill Vest is the honorary 'mayor of the backside'

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- The backside at Churchill Downs is a small city. During racing, about 700 people live here with hundreds of equine neighbors. Every city needs a leader, and Bill Vest is the mayor.

When asked how he got that title, Vest joked, “I rigged the election."

He's come a long way from the late 1970s when he was a groom, living in Barn 16 and running barefoot around the track in the evenings.

“So, when I'd make a couple laps, I'd stop and go out and stick my feet in the goldfish pond out front and look at that grandstand and the Twin Spires like 'Wow, this is cool,'” Vest shared.

The fact is, Vest won this unofficial title of “mayor” because he has so much experience. He’s been a stable worker at a broodmare farm, a groom, an assistant trainer, and a vet assistant. He helped manage farms and tracks, worked for the racing commission for 20 years, and ran a test barn.

“I’m sure I’m missing something,” Vest added.

His favorite job was in the starting gate.

“I probably worked somewhere around 20 Derbies and eight Breeders’ Cups as an assistant starter, so it was the best job I ever had,” Vest said.

His official title is Backside Security Manager. Vest works daily to make sure the people in this small city get along.

“I get tickled about some of the people that don't know me, that don't know my report card,” Vest said. “They try to tell me something, and I say, 'Yeah, right. It's not going to work.'”

Here’s how he describes his management style.

“My motto is the two books of John,” Vest chuckled. “John Lennon--peace and love. If that doesn't work, we go to the book of John Wayne--fair but firm. Nothing's ever personal.”

He also protects his favorite backside residents--the horses.

“These horses have personalities, oh they do,” he said. “Some are jokesters; some are serious, and some of them are lighthearted. But they do have personalities If you're willing to listen to them. They will talk to you in their own way.”

Vest has given almost 50 years of his life to this sport.

“You better love this game,” he insisted. “It's very demanding seven days a week. If you don't love it, you're in the wrong game.”

Vest will eventually call it quits, but not before the 150th Kentucky Derby in 2024. Until then, he'll be here at Churchill Downs, admiring the spires and still getting goosebumps at the sound of “My Old Kentucky Home.”