‘What The Turtleneck’ won the 2020 Kentucky Turtle Derby, beating out ‘Galapa-GO!’ in a wire-to-wire finish. ‘Rocket To Nowhere’ finished third, rounding out the top three.
In what should have been the actual Kentucky Derby on this First Saturday in May, Old Forester (the Official Drink of the Kentucky Derby) held the Kentucky Turtle Derby instead.
There’s history behind the Kentucky Derby and turtle racing.
The only other time the Derby was postponed in its 146-year history was in 1945, because of WWII. That year, turtles were raced instead of horses.
The Turtle Derby was not short on traditions – long-time Kentucky Derby race caller Larry Collmus called the race, the actual bugler from Churchill Downs played the call-to-post prior to the race and hypothetical odds were released for the turtles participating.
Commemorative 2020 Kentucky Turtle Derby t-shirts have also been made available for purchase online. Net proceeds from the shirt sales will go to the Restaurant Workers’ Community Foundation.
Meanwhile, Secretariat won the virtual Kentucky Derby against 12 fellow Triple Crown winners in the computer-generated race that was part of NBC’s three-hour telecast honoring the Derby which was postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic. The race has been rescheduled for September 5.
Live racing is expected to resume at Churchill Downs on May 16, with no live audience.
Secretariat (1973) was the 7-2 favorite in the virtual race. There was no wagering, though Churchill Downs pledged to match $1 million in donations to COVID-19 relief.
Seattle Slew (1977) led most of the way but was overtaken by Secretariat in the stretch. Citation (1948) came in second and Seattle Slew finished third. American Pharoah, now 8-years-old, was fourth and is standing stud at Ashford Stud for a $200,000 fee.
