LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) — After Travis Stone called his fifth Kentucky Derby, one that ended with an official review, Maximum Security disqualified and Country House declared winner, he said with a sigh, "Well, I'd never thought I'd see that."
Stone never thought he'd see the Derby in September, either, but that is what he and the entire city are now looking towards after the iconic horse race was postponed due to the novel coronavirus pandemic.Â
"I can think of very few events that exist in the world that could rally the moral and the spirit of people anywhere better than an event like the Derby," Stone said.Â
The postponement of the Run for the Roses should make for an interesting summer campaign for hopeful contenders.
"Horses that we think of as the second wave of 3-year-olds become part of the wave of 3-year-olds," Stone said. "Conversely, are the horses that peaked late in their 2-year-old or early in the their 3-year-old years able to maintain that form into the summer and to that Saturday in September? You could argue that the Derby field could change completely between now and September based on how these summer races shake out."
While riding out the pandemic, Stone said he's trying to maintain some kind of routine, playing a lot of video games and really looking forward to Sept. 5.Â
"I don't think there will be a greater anticipation of the Derby than this year," Stone said. "They make us wait a year every year. Now, a year plus a handful of months. It's like torture. So I think everybody will be ready for it."
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