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Twenty years into his retirement from a Hall of Fame career in college basketball, Denny Crum was at the Keeneland sales pavilion shopping for a stakes winner with trainer Dallas Stewart.

This was no new venture for Crum, who had been a racehorse owner since the mid-1970s and bred nearly a dozen winners through the late 1980s and ‘90s. Thoroughbred racing was yet another outlet for the man who loved to compete, whether it was basketball, golf, fishing, horse racing, or poker.

Behind every horse at this year’s Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve was an owner or a group of owners whose dreams were realized once the gate doors opened for the 149th run for the roses. Three high-profile owners, in particular, got to experience the thrill of having a horse in the race for the first time.

Another Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve is in the books, and the Triple Crown storyline will only intensify in the next couple of weeks as it appears that longshot winner Mage and his likeable connections will target the second jewel of the series, the May 20 Preakness Stakes at

Listening to the needs of our horses is one of the most important things we can do as owners, riders, and trainers. As humans, sometimes we get caught up in our ambitions and goals, but riding is a team sport and the needs of the horse have to be considered above our wants and desires.

While those in attendance at the 2023 Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve are there to watch the most important horse race in the United States, the Louisville event also offers a great opportunity to get dressed up — put on some whimsical or fancy duds — and enjoy a spring day at Churchill Downs.

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