By: Deb Kitchenmaster
Grab your hats, ladies and gentlemen and boys and girls. Let’s take a walk down the muddy tracks of the Kentucky Derby and see what we can grasp from the symbolism of Kentucky Derby 2025.
Churchill Downs, a horse racing complex in South Louisville, Kentucky, known for its annual Kentucky Derby race held the first Saturday of May, announced their 151st Kentucky Derby race this year.
On Kentucky Derby Day, there are a total of 14 races at Churchill Downs; the Kentucky Derby itself is the 12th race on the program. So what is required for a horse to get a spot at the starting gate in the Kentucky Derby? The horse needs to qualify through the “Road to the Kentucky Derby” series, which is a point system. Horses are awarded points by placing in the top five positions during a designated race, held at various tracks across the U.S. and even internationally.
There is a SOUND that is released calling the horses and their jockeys to the starting gate. This sound is referred to as the “Call to the Post.” It is one of the most iconic sounds of the Kentucky Derby that heralds the arrival of the horses. Something, such as the “Call to the Post,” is considered iconic because it evokes a strong feeling among the masses, and it’s recognizable. As the sound of the “Call to the Post” is released, horse, jockey, and the crew assigned to the starting gate make their way to the gate. On race day, the crew will be seen dressed in khaki jeans, white polo shirts, and green protective vests. All 12 have duties for every race no matter how many horses are running. In between races, some play cards in a small building on the backside of the track. However, once they hear the “Call to the Post,” they head out along the track to the gate.
These 12 men are men of experience, agility, and alertness. It can be a dangerous job. When the horses are led into the gate, the rear doors shut, and the crew member must stay right there, in the stall, with the horse and the jockey. Blankets make some horses feel secure in the gate. They’re fastened with Velcro and fly off at the start of the race. The start crew is aware of the horse and is there to quiet jittery horses and to assist the jockey. “Things happen.”
The starting gate is a symbol of horse racing — the bell clanging, the doors springing open, and the horses surging forward as the race begins. This year’s race consisted of 19 horses (20 is the max), 3-year old THOROUGHBREDS. A horse is not able to run twice in the Kentucky Derby, as the horse has to be 3 years old as of the first Saturday of May of the year. All of them must run a distance of one and one-quarter miles. There is an entry fee of $25,000 each and a starting fee of $25,000 each. All 19 horses running came from the bloodline of Secretariat.
In the midst of a lot of mud flinging, horse #18, with the name Sovereignty, pushed through the mud to have a blanket of roses draped on his back. The number “1” means UNITY. The number “8” means NEW BEGINNING.
People, united we stand; divided we fall. Come on Bride of Christ; believers, we can do this! Let us do our part, run our race to unify in Truth, Grace, and Righteousness. Sovereignty means supreme power and authority entrusted to “we the people.” The birth name of the jockey is Raphael Alvarado Jr. “You,
Raphael, you heal the earth.” (Raphael, from ancient writings, was identified as an archangel whose name means “God heals; healing from God”)
Second place went to a horse by the name of “Journalism.” Isn’t that GOOD NEWS! Journalism was #8 horse, meaning “new beginning.” We would truly benefit for NEW in reporting, wouldn’t we? It sounds like a “Call to the Post.” No more politics; just the facts!
In the 151st Kentucky Oaks, the 3-year-old Good Cheer took first.
Your NEIGHbor,
Deb Kitchenmaster
May 16, 2025
