LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Jessica Whitehead gloves up and digs through horse racing history every day. The vault at the Kentucky Derby Museum sits right next to her office.
"For somebody who studies the history of the Kentucky Derby, it's remarkable every year," Whitehead said. "You can look at 20 or 30 amazing stories."
That includes one from a weekend decades ago, where the focus was supposed to be on the fastest, as usual. But it ended up being remembered for the slowest Derby on record.
You might be thinking of 1891, when Kingman finished the race at just over 2 minutes and 52 seconds.
"They called it the Kentucky Funeral Procession," said Sherri Brueggemann, a Churchill Downs visitor.
"I think there was a slower Derby that was run," Whitehead added.
She's talking about the Turtle Derby, which made headlines at the Louisville Gardens in 1945. Six-thousand people were present. World War II was on, and the Run for the Roses was off, at least temporarily.
The Turtle Derby took place at the Louisville Gardens.
"The government had actually issued bans on horse racing across the country," Whitehead said.
Uncle Sam thought the resources could be better used in the war effort.
"That was the first time since 1875 that they had to postpone the Derby," Whitehead said.
This city was down, but everyone kept their heads out and up. A turtle was crowned champion and took home a nice piece of lettuce, quite the trophy.
"Ironically, the turtle who actually ended up winning in 1945 was named Broken Spring, and it was a broken spring because there was no Derby on the first Saturday in May," Whitehead said.
Children took home the proceeds of the race all those years ago.
It took awhile, as turtles can, but a funny thing happened some 75 years later. The Turtle Derby made its return in 2020.
The Turtle Derby made its return in 2020, during the pandemic, and now it looks like it's here to stay.
"They had a couple different virtual options that you could Derby from home, which was very cool," Whitehead said. "Part of that is the Turtle Derby."
It looks like it's here to stay. The turtles are set to race at 4 p.m. on Derby Day. It will be streamed on YouTube and on the big board at Churchill Downs.
"I think it says something really special about a community that wants so badly to come together, wants so badly to celebrate," Whitehead said.
Racing reptiles showed us, both then and now, how hard our shells can be and how much Derby weekend really means to us all.
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