Daily Racing Form's Jay Hovdey will be filing daily notes and thoughts from trackside at Churchill Downs all week leading up to the 135th running of the Kentucky Derby, exclusively on ESPN.com.
In the space of about 30 minutes, the following things happened this afternoon at Churchill Downs:
-- An inspiring parade of about 50 breast cancer survivors marched around the clubhouse turn and down the stretch in keeping with the theme of the day, which was to spotlight not only the Kentucky Oaks but the Susan G. Komen for the Cure, the world's largest breast cancer education and outreach association. Among the tunes played loud in the house as the women marched was Gloria Gaynor's disco classic, "I Will Survive."
-- As the women made their way toward the finish line, Sheikh Mohammed's 3-year-old Storm Cat colt Stormalory, winner of the Transylvania Stakes at Keeneland, was being vanned off the track after shattering a front leg on the backstretch of the America Turf. Asked about his horse, Bill Mott quietly replied, "No good." Stormalory was euthanized.
-- In the midst of the Bravo Network's broadcast of the Kentucky Oaks, shortly after an appearance on camera, analyst Bob Neumeyer collapsed in the walking ring, suffering what appeared to be some kind of seizure. Neumeier was removed on a stretcher by track emergency personnel. As of 6:15 p.m., his friends and colleagues were awaiting word of his condition.
-- Rachel Alexandra won the Kentucky Oaks by 20 and one-quarter lengths.
Horse racing is chaos.
Jay Hovdey is the award-winning executive columnist for Daily Racing Form. He has written about thoroughbred racing since the 1970s from his base in Southern California, including articles published in the Reader's Digest, Los Angeles Times and New York Times, as well as several books. Hovdey is married to retired Hall of Fame jockey Julie Krone.