Note: Coffee with Crawford is a new daily weekday conversation — one story, one thought, or one question to start your day. Sometimes it will be about sports. Sometimes it will be about life. Often, it will be both. Always, it's meant to be quick, thoughtful and worth your time — something to go with your first cup of coffee (or whatever gets you going). Thanks for joining me.
Confession: Every year, usually at the start of Kentucky Derby week, I write an essay setting the scene. I try to capture the mood, or communicate the vibe, heading into Louisville's biggest week.
Often, I'll do a video version, too.
This year, I haven't done either. Yet.
Kentucky Derby 151 | Derby Prep Races | Derby Festival Events
The biggest reason? I can't quite figure out the mood. I'm not feeling the vibe. And I'm not sure why. Maybe it's not the Derby. Maybe it's me. Entirely possible.
This looks like a solid — if not breathtakingly fast — group of horses. There are plenty of storylines. But as someone who watches readership patterns closely, I can tell you: interest in the Derby, at least locally, has trended downward.
Maybe that's just the way of things.
But here's a weird, unscientific, purely anecdotal observation: I've talked to about eight longtime Louisville folks this week who've all said a version of the same thing: "We usually go to the Derby, but this year we're missing it because of (fill in the reason)."
Family events. Too much hassle. Health issues. Parking headaches. Doing Thurby instead.
None of the reasons really had to do with the Derby itself.
But it's true — the event is changing.
It has always been a national draw. But it was founded as — and remained for a long time — a day for Louisville to celebrate with the rest of the country joining in.
Increasingly, though, the Derby sees itself as something different: an international bucket-list experience, on par with the Super Bowl or Final Four. It's still a party — just not our party, anymore.
That shift shows up in the crowd. Most Derby attendees now come from out of town. The Louisville presence? Likely less than 35%, maybe well below that.
For Churchill Downs, that's not bad business but it does change the relationship between the city and its signature event.
Last year, in a "Derbyland" piece for Derby 150, I likened the new Churchill Downs to Disney World. And the relationship between the event and the city? Similar to what you see in Orlando — pride, yes, but not always warmth.
It's a huge economic driver. It's the biggest international splash we have. It's a point of pride. But it doesn't always generate the same warm, local feeling it used to.
In some ways, it feels like the Derby has outgrown Louisville.
That's not necessarily a bad thing. But I'm of this city. I was born here, live here and have spent most of my adult life working here.
And maybe, more than any post–Derby 150 hangover, that's what I'm feeling now.
I love the Derby — as an event, as a spectacle, as a centerpiece of life in this city. But I recognize that it's growing away from the city and region, not closer to it.
That may be good for business but it's tougher on the heartstrings.
And it hasn't helped with that Derby essay, either.
Quick Sips
- The major pre-Derby work is now complete, including Tuesday breezes from Japanese contenders Admire Daytona and Luxor Café. Now it's a matter of easy gallops, sleepless nights and getting to the gate healthy. On Wednesday, several horses are expected to school in the paddock during the "Champions Day" crowd — a good way to simulate race-day buzz.
- There's been a lot of online chatter about $22 mint juleps at Churchill Downs. I honestly don't know who's buying drinks a la carte anymore — most tickets now include food and beverage. But yes, $22 is steep. Give me The Masters model: expensive tickets, cheap concessions. That still feels like a win.
- Pat Forde of Sports Illustrated described the Derby vibe this year as "weird." I can sign on to that. I'm feeling it too. Car trouble means I'm spending my morning dealing with that instead of meandering around the barns. Weird, indeed.
- Louisville basketball coach Pat Kelsey visited the backside Tuesday. In case you missed it, my story is here. He wasn't much for making a Derby pick but he gave some brief updates on his team.
The Last Drop
"My greatest memories are the Kentucky Derby. They always will be. It's something that — without the Derby — horse racing would have a totally different look. It's getting bigger. For some reason, it gets bigger and bigger every year."
-- Bob Baffert, earlier this week
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