Anticipation for the 2024 Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve is ramping up as the calendar nears March, and all eyes will be on Hot Springs, Ark., Saturday, Feb. 24 for the 64th running of the Rebel Stakes at Oaklawn Park.

Each race day, jockeys suit up with gear that echoes their predecessors. Those early riders wore a silk cap and jacket with the owner’s colors, but those caps offered no protection from injury and those jackets were no shield against flying hooves. With dirt, mud, and debris flying into their faces, these jocks faced any number of dangers on the racetrack: falling off their mounts and potentially being trampled; tearing muscle and breaking limbs hitting the rail; hurtling over a horse’s head or falling with their mounts only to be trapped underneath the thousand-pound animal.