The historical past of horse racing is stuffed with tales of inconceivable, against-the-odds triumphs and legendary heroes who made the seemingly not possible, doable.

These days, it’s troublesome to think about that the Kentucky Derby – as iconic a sporting occasion as you’ll discover – was as soon as at risk of fading into historical past as a result of monetary difficulties. Fortuitously, a businessman and racing fan named Martin Joseph Winn, higher often called “Col. Matt Winn,” was decided to maintain the Derby alive. Greater than a century later, it’s not a stretch to say that Matt Winn saved the Kentucky Derby and made it what it’s right now.

On reflection, there very probably was no particular person better-suited than Winn to embrace the problem of resurrecting Churchill Downs and the Derby. Born on June 30, 1861 in Louisville, Ky. – residence of Churchill Downs – the younger Winn was in attendance when the primary Derby was held in 1875. All through the rest of the century, he continued to attend the Derby whereas working a wide range of jobs, together with a stint as a touring salesman and, finally, a longer-term job as a tailor.

However by the tip of 1902, Churchill Downs and the Derby had been at risk of disappearing from the game. By some accounts, the monitor was struggling extreme monetary difficulties, and even the Derby itself appeared to be shedding a few of its luster – solely 4 horses turned out to contest the 1902 Kentucky Derby, one yr after a area of 5 had confronted the starter for the 1901 renewal.

In line with Winn’s autobiography “Down the Stretch: The Story of Colonel Matt J. Winn,” he was approached in 1902 by his buddy, Churchill Downs secretary Charlie Worth, with information that the monitor wanted assist and may very well be bought for $40,000. Other than being a racing fan, Winn had no expertise within the sport and wasn’t terribly obsessed with leaping in on the enterprise finish, however with the Derby at stake he couldn’t flip away. Winn advised Worth, “I’d say no and make it stick for a thousand years if it concerned something however the Derby. However they mustn’t cease working that race.”

Thus, Winn joined a partnership that bought Churchill Downs and set about renovating the ability. Formally, Winn turned vp and normal supervisor of Churchill Downs, although unofficially, it may very well be argued that Winn was nonetheless a salesman – solely now, he was promoting one thing intangible; he was promoting the Derby as an expertise, a can’t-miss sporting occasion not like another.

Winn pulled out all of the stops to assist the Derby develop from a regional occasion to a race of nationwide stature. He knew that publicity and press might go a good distance to assist the race acquire traction, so he tried to be accommodating to these within the place to advertise the Derby. Within the guide “The Kentucky Derby: How the Run for the Roses Turned America’s Premier Sporting Occasion,” writer James C. Nicholson writes of Winn’s “pleasant relationship with members of the press. Winn spent a lot of his winter ‘off season’ in New York on the Waldorf-Astoria [Hotel], the place he usually entertained sportswriters and picked up their tabs. He inspired high sports activities journalists to come back to the Derby, and made positive they had been properly handled whereas in Louisville.”

Winn’s courtesy additionally prolonged to distinguished Thoroughbred homeowners primarily based in New York, the epicenter of top-quality racing in the US on the time. A very important second occurred when the socially distinguished Harry Payne Whitney agreed to ship his unbeaten filly Remorse to contest the 1915 Kentucky Derby; in accordance with the guide “Horse Racing’s Prime 100 Moments,” revealed by BloodHorse Publications, “Winn went as far as sending a letter to Algernon Daingerfield of The Jockey Membership in New York Metropolis imploring him to influence Remorse’s proprietor to incorporate the Whitney horses within the Kentucky Derby … ”

In a historic second, Remorse received the Derby in decisive vogue, turning into the primary filly to prevail within the race. The Each day Racing Kind of Could 9, 1915, quoted Whitney as saying, “I don’t care if she by no means wins one other race, nor if she by no means begins in one other race, she has received the best race in America and I’m glad.”

All of a sudden, the Kentucky Derby was on the rise once more.

However for all of his forward-thinking concepts and promotions, arguably Winn’s best contribution to the Kentucky Derby – and your entire sport – was a last-minute change to the type of wagering provided at Churchill Downs, a transfer pushed by desperation in the course of the early years of Winn’s profession on the monitor. In 1908, bookmaking was outlawed in Kentucky, a transfer that threatened the power of Churchill Downs to generate purse cash for his or her races. With out wagering, Churchill Downs and the Derby couldn’t survive.

Fortuitously, the quick-thinking Winn remembered an event three many years earlier when the monitor had experimented with pari-mutuel wagering run by machines, permitting racing followers to wager amongst themselves whereas leaving bookmakers out of the equation. After discovering an obscure statute that exempted the pari-mutuel machines from Kentucky’s anti-gambling legal guidelines, Winn orchestrated a cross-country search to search out machines that would serve at Churchill Downs on the day of the quickly approaching 1908 Derby. Amazingly, six machines had been discovered, and the Derby went off as scheduled, with longshot Stone Road prevailing and paying $123.60 for each $5 win wager, the minimal on the time.

From that time on, the Derby grew shortly in status. Enormous crowds turned out yearly, and the purse of the race climbed from $6,000 in 1912 to greater than $50,000 by 1921, the identical yr that Winn launched the custom of awarding a priceless gold cup to the winner. Horses got here from throughout to compete within the race; Triple Crown winners Sir Barton, Gallant Fox, and Omaha all stamped their legacies with Kentucky Derby victories. Journey restrictions throughout World Conflict II threatened the Derby, however Winn managed to maintain the race afloat, even holding the race a month later than normal in 1945 to make sure that its uninterrupted historical past continued. Radio and tv broadcasts of the race had been additionally applied throughout Winn’s tenure on the monitor.

Fittingly, Winn lived to the age of 88, simply lengthy sufficient to witness his seventy fifth consecutive Kentucky Derby. With out his efforts, it’s unlikely that the race would have ever survived to that milestone; now, the race in 2024 will likely be twice that outdated and continues to interrupt wagering and attendance information with regularity.

We are able to thank Matt Winn for saving the run for the roses.

Observe: This story was initially revealed in 2017 and has been up to date.

Enjoyable Info

• In 2017, Matt Winn was inducted into the Racing Corridor of Fame as a “Pillar of the Turf.”
• Winn’s reminiscence is honored every year with the working of the Grade 3 Matt Winn Stakes at Churchill Downs.
• Winn is broadly credited with convincing proprietor Willis Kilmer to run longshot Exterminator within the 1918 Kentucky Derby, a lucky flip of occasions since Exterminator received the race convincingly on his option to turning into one of many sport’s most legendary racehorses.
• The custom of taking part in “My Outdated Kentucky House” previous to the Kentucky Derby was began by Winn.
• Winn was a member of the Royal Order of Kentucky Colonels, therefore the “Colonel” title that often preceded his identify.