Any acknowledgment of the many people who helped make this book possible must begin with Joanne Pope Melish, who inspired and encouraged me to pursue the study of history and has served as an advisor, mentor, sounding board, and editor. Without her support and belief in my capabilities as a writer and a scholar, this book would never have been attempted, let alone completed. Tracy Campbell read multiple early drafts of this book that were quite rough and gave constructive criticism that allowed me to learn from mistakes without losing focus or confidence. Meetings in his office were always a source of laughter, a valuable commodity in the occasionally-too-serious world of history. Ron Eller, Ellen Furlough, and Ron Formisano read early drafts and encouraged me to go further. Dennis Domer, Rhoda-Gale Pollack, Karl Raitz, and Maryjean Wall read later drafts and provided helpful feedback.
In the course of this long process, I have received cheerful assistance from a number of libraries and archives. The staff at the reference desk of the William T. Young Library at the University of Kentucky in Lexington indulged me and what must have seemed like a limitless appetite for all periodicals published in the month of May in the last 135 years. The staff and volunteers at the University of Kentucky Archives, the Louie B. Nunn Center for Oral History at the University of Kentucky, Ekstrom Library at the University of Louisville, the Kentucky Historical Society in Frankfort, and the Curt Teich Postcard Archives in the Lake County, Illinois, Discovery Museum were all very courteous, diligent, knowledgeable, and cooperative. Phyllis Rogers and Cathy Schenck at the Keeneland Library in Lexington, Kentucky, were especially obliging. Laura Sutton, Larry Malley, and Robbie Hare answered many questions and pointed me in the right direction in my initial exploration of the world of publishing. Tina Hagee, Carol O’Reilly, and their various assistants at the UK history department always had answers to my myriad questions.
Everyone at the University Press of Kentucky has been extremely friendly and accommodating. They have made this first book experience a pleasure. Anne Dean Watkins has been my guide as I have blindly made my way through the publishing forest for the first time. Along the way I have met (some in person, others via e-mail) some very helpful people at the University Press of Kentucky, including David Cobb, Pat Gonzales, Bailey Johnson, Cameron Ludwick, Ann Malcolm, Allison Webster, and Steve Wrinn. Robin DuBlanc asked pertinent questions in her capacity as editor and helped to disguise many of my limitations of grammar and diction.
I have been fortunate to be surrounded by an outstanding group of friends that has often had more confidence in my ability to see this project to fruition than I have. I am especially grateful to those, including Hanzly Albina, Zack Bray, Eric Buckley, Alex Bushel, Will Coffman, and Walt Robertson, who have indulged my periodic desire for long-winded conversations about horse racing’s fascinating past and uncertain future. I would also like to give a corny but sincere nod to the hundreds of journalists who have covered the Derby over the years. While I could list my favorites, I learned as much from the bad ones as the good. The words of all the men and women who covered the Derby have provided me a window into the American past and have helped me to better appreciate the timeless nature of racetrack culture.
Throughout this process my entire family, especially my parents and my sister Kelsey, have been extraordinarily supportive even when they didn’t necessarily understand what the hell I was doing. My gratitude for their encouragement cannot be measured. Finally, my wife, Maegan, has always been patient and understanding with the serious time commitment that this project has often required. There is no one with whom I would rather spend a Derby Day.
For each person who has the chance to witness a Kentucky Derby, the experience is both unique and shared. Similarly, the process of writing a book is both maddeningly isolating and inescapably collaborative. I am grateful to all who have facilitated this project—those who have been mentioned above and those who remain nameless. This rewarding experience would not have been possible without their contributions great and small, but all of this book’s shortcomings are entirely my own.