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TODAY IN KENTUCKY HISTORY

Kentucky Trivia ● Kentucky Tweets

Jimmy Winkfield aboard Alan-a-Dale, 1902 – Unknown

Monday, May 3, 1909, Ohio bred Wintergreen won the 35th Kentucky Derby for Jerome B. Respess with Vincent Powers in the reins.  Trained by Charles Mack, the colt finished 1 1/4 miles in 2:08 1/5 over a track rated slow from heavy morning rains.  The winning connections earned $4,850.  It would be Wintergreen’s only stakes victory.

By Unknown

Localtonians wish a Happy Birthday to Letcher County native Harry M. Caudill, born in 1922.

May 3, 1924, Deputy Sheriff John Lafayette Meeks, Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office, died from a gunshot while attempting to detain a man who had been ruled incompetent and remanded to the custody of state hospital attendants.

On May 3, 1925, a miner’s lamp ignited a gas pocket and exploded, killing two men and injuring six in Mine #5 of the Hopkins County Coal Mining Company in Nortonville.  Over 2,500 locals gathered as they dug the men from the mine.

On May 3, 1941, Whirlaway won the 67th Kentucky Derby for Warren Wright’s Calumet Farm.  Eddie Arcaro guided the colt home in 2:01 2/5 to set a track record.  Ben A. Jones conditioned the colt for the $61,275 purse.  It was Calumet’s 1st Derby out of eight and their 1st Triple Crown out of two.  Arcaro won his 2nd Derby out of five, and Ben won his 2nd of six Derbies.

Friday, May 3, 1946, a special Chesapeake and Ohio Railway train arrived at Lexington’s Union Station carrying Margaret Truman, the President’s daughter, Mrs. Fred Vinson, the Secretary of Treasure’s wife, the French Ambassador’s wife, and 100 other dignitaries.  The Derby crew visited horse farms, had lunch at Keeneland, and then traveled to Louisville for the Derby.

May 3, 1947, Jet Pilot won the 73rd Kentucky Derby for Maine Chance Farm with Eric Guerin up and R. Thomas Smith as the conditioner.  In a sad footnote, Maine Chance had most of their 2-year-olds die in a 1946 barn fire at Arlington Park.  Fortunately, Jet Pilot happened to be at Churchill with the farm’s Derby horses.

In congressional hearings on May 3-4, 1951, General Douglass MacArthur came under fire from Senators after voicing opposition to the Truman Administration’s Asian policy.  General MacArthur, “I do not believe in the gag rule.  It seems to me that the American people are entitled to certain basic facts when it involves the lives of their sons and perhaps the future of our country.”

May 3, 1954, Cliff Hagan (#6), Frank Ramsey (#30), Lou Tsioropoulos (#42), Billy Evans (#42), Gayle Rose (#20), Jerry Bird (#22) and Phil Grawemeyer (#44), all had their jerseys retired.

On May 3, 1959, Lt. Gov. Harry Waterfield, Governor Happy Chandler’s son-in-law, and three other politically connected men bought 10,000 acres of coal and timber land on the Harlan/Leslie County line for $106,000.  Henry Ford’s estate sold 76,000 Kentucky acres nearby on the same day.

May 3, 1969, Majestic Prince won the 95th Kentucky Derby while President Nixon watched from the stands, the only sitting president to do so.  Owner Frank McMahon, a Canadian oilman who made the cover of Time magazine for his business savvy, won the Derby and Preakness with this colt.  Hall of Famer Johnny Longden won his only Derby and jockey Bill Hartack won a record 5th time.  The time of 2:01 4/5 earned $113,200.

May 3, 1973, the Louisville Colonels won Game Three against the Indiana Pacers 92-88 in the ABA finals best of seven game series.  They would lose the series in seven games.

By J654567 – Own work

May 3, 1975, Foolish Pleasure won the 101st Kentucky Derby for John L. Greer, trainer LeRoy Jolley, and jockey Jacinto Vásquez in 2:02.00 to win $209,600.  Bombay Duck, who set the pace until the second turn, stopped severely and wound up last after a beer can from the infield hit him.  His camp reported a lump the size of a tennis ball on his hip.  Churchill Downs moved the infield fence the following year to keep the public farther from the horses.

May 3, 1976, Reverend Jesse R. Zeigler’s residence, a Frank Lloyd Wright house in Frankfort, is added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places.

By Sydney and Russell Poore

On May 3, 1980, Genuine Risk won the 106th Kentucky Derby for Diana Firestone, LeRoy Jolley, and Jacinto Vásquez.   LeRoy and Jacinto teamed up again for their 2nd and last Derby victory.  The winning time of 2:02.00 earned $250,550.  Genuine Risk was the second of three fillies to win the Roses.

May 3, 1985, Glasgow native Harry Leon Collins passed overThe Frito-Lay Magician traveled the globe promoting the brand.

May 3, 1986, Ferdinand won the 112th Kentucky Derby for Mrs. Elizabeth A. Keck.  William Shoemaker won his 4th and last Derby at 54 years, eight months and 54 days to become the oldest jockey to win the Roses.  Charles E. Whittingham won his 1st of two at age 72 years, 11 months, and 21 days.  The winning connections took home $609,400, for the winning time of 2:02.4/5.

On May 3, 1989, while nine fire departments came to the rescue and put out a major fire in downtown Hazard, the Delta Queen defeated the Belle of Louisville.  The overall record after this year stood at 12 Belle wins to 11 Queen wins.

On May 3, 1993, former House Speaker Don Blandford resigned from the legislative seat he held for 25 years after his conviction of extortion, racketeering, and lying to the F.B.I.  He mailed a one-sentence resignation letter to Governor B. Jones.  He forfeited a portion of his retirement benefits due to a bill that passed months earlier that stated lawmakers’ pensions would be reduced if ever convicted of a felony.

May 3, 1997, Silver Charm won the 123rd Kentucky Derby for Bob & Beverly Lewis, Bob Baffert, and Gary Stevens in 2:02.44 for $700,000.  Alex Solis became the 1st jockey to wear a mini TV camera during a Triple Crown race.  The camera, located on the helmet, weighed 19 ounces.

May 3, 2003, New York-bred Funny Cide won the 129th Kentucky Derby in 2:01.19 for six friends from Upper New York State named Sackatoga Stable.  Trainer Barclay Tagg and jockey José A. Santos round out the winning connections to take home $800,200.

On May 3, 2004, for the 1st time, eight prisoners from the Kentucky Correctional Institute for Women received PAWS puppies to train for people with limited mobility.  “I feel honored to be chosen,” said inmate Sue Jones, who murdered her husband and buried him under 23 tons of rock.

May 3, 2008, Big Brown won the 134th Kentucky Derby for IEAH Stables & Paul Pompa Jr., trainer Richard E. Dutrow Jr., and jockey Kent Desormeaux.  Eight Belles, the second-place finisher and the first filly to run the Derby in nine years, was euthanized following the end of the race, possibly the 1st fatality in Kentucky Derby history.  The winning time was 2:02.82 which $1,451,800.

Monday, May 3, 2010, Kentucky officials stated that four people died and hundreds of roads and schools were closed after a weekend of deadly storms and floods.  The storms dumped 11 inches of rain in Central and Southern Kentucky.  Governor S. Beshear estimated $6.2 million in damages.

On May 3, 2011, UK Trustees voted to name Eli Capilouto, 61, provost of the University of Alabama at Birmingham, the 12th President of UK.  Meanwhile, as a candidate for Lt. Gov., Richie Farmer had to pay back taxes for six years on a state vehicle used for personal reasons.  State auditors had warned him for years to pay, but he never did.  Unfortunately, it got worse for Richie.

May 3, 2014, California Chrome won the 140th Kentucky Derby for Dumbass Ass Partners (DAP) Racing consisting of Perry Martin, Steve Coburn, and their spouses.  Art Sherman became the oldest individual to train at Kentucky Derby winner at 77 years, two months, and 17 days.  Victor Espinoza guided the colt home in 2:03.66.  The team won $1,417,800.

May 3, 2020, Governor A. Beshear criticized lawmakers and speakers who attended a Frankfort rally where 1,000 people called for lifting coronavirus restrictions.  The governor claimed their statements were reckless and irresponsible.  Meanwhile, families continued to cope with being separated from their loved ones, especially in nursing homes.

On May 3, 2021, the counties with the lowest vaccination rates were Christian, Spencer, Ballard, McCreary, and Lewis Counties.  Statewide nearly 80% of people ages 65 and older were vaccinated compared with 37% of people ages 30-39 and 43% between 40-49.  Just over 40% of all Kentuckians were immunized.

On May 3, 2022, Bill Gates gave a now-famous interview on the coronavirus.  He stated that the virus would never be able to be contained, it had a low fatality rate, and it was a disease mainly of the elderly, like the flu but a bit different.  He also said that young people didn’t get sick from the virus that often and schools should not have been shut down.