MC Hammer, Bacharach & Steinbrenner: Kentucky Derby celebrities are uniquely fans and participants

Kentucky Derby Celebrities Infographic

The first gem of the Triple Crown is a hands-on cultural treasure

Living up to its status as one of the country’s premier sporting events and well known around the world, the Kentucky Derby has attracted its share of celebrity attendees and admirers over the years.

However, what sets the Derby apart from, say, the Super Bowl or Wimbledon, is that not only can well-known figures come down to Churchill Downs to watch the big race, they also have the opportunity, even if the chances are slim, of actually taking part in it .

The royal procession of Queen Elizabeth II arrives at Royal Ascot (Photo by Horsephotos.com/Frank Sorge)

Unlike England, where the monarchical head of state has been among the sport’s identifiable patrons for generations, nationally recognized figures from the entertainment and sporting worlds tend to give racing, and with it the Kentucky Derby, a higher profile. In the United States, there have been several notable ones over the past three decades examples.

The Dance Floor and Spot ‘Lite’

At the height of his commercial success on the pop charts, Grammy Award-winning rapper MC Hammer and his family became one of racing’s most successful owners. Her most prominent runner was Lite Light, a nearly victorious three-year-old mare in 1991 when she won four Class 1 races including the Kentucky Oaks by an amazing 10 lengths.

MC Hammer was back in Churchill in the spring of 1992, but then with a foal he bought as part of a three-horse package for an alleged $430,000. The aptly named Dance Floor had won the Breeders’ Futurity and Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes as a two-year-old, and then cemented his qualifications for the Kentucky Derby by winning the Fountain of Youth Stakes at Gulfstream Park on his debut as a three-year-old.

Despite going into the derby as a 33-1 longshot after back-to-back losses after the Fountain of Youth, Dance Floor put on a great run. Dance Floor led the field past the quarter pole and doggedly fought his way down the stretch before dropping to third place behind Longshot winner Lil E. Tee. For a distance-restricted horse, Dance Floor also ran commendably two weeks later, finishing fourth at the Preakness in Pimlico, eventually retiring with a profit of $863,000.

Dance Floor was bred in New Jersey, which is not known as a consistent source of high-profile thoroughbred talent. Neither is West Virginia, but that hasn’t stopped acclaimed tunemaker Burt Bacharach from birthing his best hopes for the Kentucky Derby in Mountaineer State.

let the hits come

Bacharach, who died in February at the age of 94, composed countless hits that topped the pop charts for decades. While Bacharach also began his affiliation with racing at the height of his fame, he later achieved his greatest successes as an owner in the 1960s.

A decade after he gave birth to three-year-old filly Heartlight No. One, Bacharach was back in the racing spotlight when he repeated the Kentucky Derby with two stallions he had bred himself in West Virginia. The first was Soul of the Matter, who won the San Felipe Stakes at Santa Anita before the 1994 Derby where he finished fifth behind Go for Gin.

Like fine wine, Soul of the Matter got better with age. The last time he started his career, at the first World Cup in Dubai in 1996, he ran what must have been the best race of his life, only being beaten by the mighty Cigar by half a length.

Bacharach’s other stallion, Afternoon Deelites, entered the Derby in 1995 with a stronger record than Soul of the Matter the year before. Afternoon Deelites, a Grade 1 winner at the age of two, also won the San Felipe en route to Kentucky and had just missed the Santa Anita Derby in his last preseason.

Afternoon Deelites were sent off 8-1 to finish eighth in the derby behind Thunder Gulch. He would not race for more than seven months but ended his career by winning two of his last five starts, including the Malibu Stakes. Soul of the Matter and Afternoon Deelites combined earned more than $2.5 million.

Little Lady wins 1977 Debutante S. with jockey Ron Turcotte, owner George Steinbrenner, III. (Photo courtesy of Kentucky Derby Museum/Churchill Downs)

More shots (five) in the Kentucky Derby than MC Hammer and Burt Bacharach were scored by the late George Steinbrenner, the outspoken and capricious owner of the New York Yankees. Steinbrenner has been involved in racing for almost as long as he has been in baseball, breeding and racing Thoroughbreds under the Kinsman Stable banner.

That same year, the Yankees would win their first World Series title for him. Steinbrenner was represented in the 1977 Kentucky Derby by a stallion named Steve’s Friend. Unfortunately, coming the same year as Triple Crown winner Seattle Slew, Steve’s Friend ran respectably and finished fifth, just 5 1/4 lengths behind the Hall of Famer.

Although he did less well than Steve’s Friend in the Derby, Concerto was a more accomplished horse to Steinbrenner, who also bred the colt. Concerto entered the 1997 Kentucky Derby on a five-race winning streak that included preparations at Churchill, Aqueduct, Turfway Park and Pimlico.

As in the case of Steve’s Friend, the competition proved too fierce as Concerto finished a distant ninth place behind another Hall of Famer stallion, Silver Charm. Concerto would ultimately fund more than $1.3 million.

Steinbrenner’s best shot at Derby glory came in 2005, five years before his death. Bellamy Road, a son of Concerto Steinbrenner who was auctioned for $87,000, competed in this year’s edition with back-to-back double-digit wins, including a 17 1/2-long romp at Wood Memorial in which he earned a monstrous 115 Brisnet speed rating.

Uncertain if they are eyeing Secretariat’s next coming or a horse very prone to falling behind from such an unworldly performance, the betting crowd made Bellamy Road a lukewarm 5-2 favorite. The skeptics were right as Bellamy Road didn’t fire, finishing 50-1 underdog Giacomo in seventh.

In his only start after the Derby, Bellamy Road finished a strong second place in the Travers Stakes after a long layoff, which is perhaps proof that he could have been a serious racehorse if only he had been more solid. Nonetheless, Bellamy Road proved to be a steal, earning nearly ten times its purchase price.

It is unknown who will be the next widely recognized owner of a potential Kentucky Derby business. Suffice to say, there are many out there who would love the opportunity to sniff a whiff of red roses as much as a stroll down the Churchill Downs red carpet.