Inside the pressure-packed confines of the Kentucky Derby jockeys' room
On the day of the Kentucky Derby, celebrities visit the jockeys' room as riders try to manage stress before the biggest race of the year.
The biggest horse race of the year involves one of the longest waits of the year. On Saturday, the 152 nd edition of the Kentucky Derby is scheduled to begin at 6:57 p. m.
ET, about nine hours after the Churchill Downs racetrack in Louisville opens and about seven hours after the day’s first race. For those who will be aboard the horses during the “Run for the Roses,’’ most of that time will be spent in the jockeys’ room. It features two pool tables, a ping pong table and a lounge.
Cards used to be a favorite way to pass the time. “Nowadays, everyone's on their phone all the time,’’ jockey Mike Smith told USA TODAY Sports. But the energy is different on the day of the Kentucky Derby, and Smith knows that firsthand.
He has ridden in the race a record 28 times and is set to ride again on So Happy. As usual, he’ll spend ample time in the jockeys’ room. Kentucky Derby contender: So Happy is the Kentucky Derby horse worth cheering for this year “They're bringing all kinds of different stars up there, athletes, politicians,’’ said Smith, a two-time winner of the Kentucky Derby.