FSIM: The First Saturday in May Has Arrived

This is an updated version of an article first published on January 29th. I am updating it now because today is FSIM, or the First Saturday in May when they run the Kentucky Derby.

I salute all the connections of those 20 colts that will race 1 1/4 miles in Louisville this evening. To quote Dan Fogelberg, this is "the chance of a lifetime in a lifetime of chance."

May they all hear the deafening roar of the crowd, break cleanly, run straight as a string down the stretch, and then return to their stalls to empty their feedtubs. Bon chance.

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Whether it’s in comedy or sales and marketing, timing is everything.

Gulfstream Park will host the 6th running of the Pegasus World Cup just north of Miami this afternoon (note; this article originally appeared on January 29th), and the timing couldn’t be any better because the northeast corridor of the country to being pounded by a blizzard. Those who tune in to watch the $3 million showcase race on NBC will see a racetrack working mightily to establish this event as an annual must-see date on the calendar.

Although the forecast calls for a subdued afternoon with “cold” temperatures in the ‘50’s—at least by South Florida standards—the northern part of the country will be snuggled indoors or shivering outside in the unforgiving elements, so the thought of watching races in a subtropical climate in January sounds quite appealing.

Gulfstream needn’t look further than Churchill Downs to find a model to elevate their premier race to become a national (international?) spectacle.

In the early part of the 20th century, a character named Col. Matt Winn helped save Churchill Downs by promoting the Kentucky Derby as a rite-of-spring bacchanal to owners (and especially sportswriters) by visiting New York, Boston, Chicago and Detroit in order to attract them to Louisville on the first Saturday in May each year.

Imagine slogging through another miserable Chicago winter circa 1922 and arriving at your newspaper office where a telegram awaited with your itinerary details for a paid trip to Kentucky to watch the Derby. Col. Matt Winn courted the press with sugarplum promises of Southern hospitality in the warm sunshine.

Once the sportswriters and horse owners arrived in the Commonwealth, they knew to expect a plateful of food or three fingers of bourbon handed to them every time they turned around for a solid week—because while the running of the Derby may last for no more than two minutes, Derby Week is seven solid days of eating and drinking.

The photo accompanying this article is of the 1949 version of the Derby Glass. It shows an image of Col. Matt Winn with the phrase “He Has Seen Them All” because he witnessed the inaugural Derby in 1875 and would be there to celebrate the 75th anniversary. By the way, the “Colonel” part of his name wasn’t due to any military service. Instead, it was an honorific bestowed upon him by the governor. Think Col. Sanders only for a horseracing giant.

Many of the time-honored celebrations that we associate with the Derby (“Run for the Roses,” the gold trophies presented to the winning owner, trainer and jockey, seas of bourbon and mint juleps, etc.) are a result of decades of traditions cultivated over the years.

If Gulfstream hopes to build the Pegasus into a world-class event, emulate Churchill Downs and the Derby. Actually, Miami has some distinct advantages over Louisville that could accelerate the development of the Pegasus to racing prominence:

1.??????Miami is the Latin American hub of the United States and easily could tap into South American markets and their keen interest in horseracing to develop a ready-made audience

2.??????Europeans are far more inclined to wish to visit South Florida during winter so a January race could be aggressively marketed on the Continent

3.??????One compelling feature of the Derby is the fact that it is run each year on the First Saturday in May—establish the Pegasus to be run each year on the weekend prior to the Super Bowl, thus elevating it in stature and claiming a relatively quiet weekend on the sporting calendar

4.??????Find a signature drink and phrase, like the “Cuba Libre Chase” or even “Run for the Rosé” and ply guests with rivers of booze leading up to the event. Pour generous drinks and they will come.

Timing is everything. Capitalize on this weekend’s miserable weather in the northeast to invite racing fans to visit sunny Gulfstream, eat, drink, laugh, gamble and create memories.