May 6, 1782, Lexington is formally chartered by an act of the Virginia General Assembly. The act provided a board of seven Lexington trustees and 710 acres. The Squire’s Sketches of Lexington by J. Winston Coleman, Jr.; pg: 17
May 6, 1865, the 1st Kentucky Brigade surrendered at Washington, Georgia, receiving generous parole terms. Those in mounted units kept their horses or mules, and every seventh man was allowed to retain his musket for the journey home.
Monday, May 6, 1895, Halma won the 21st Kentucky Derby for Lexington native, owner, and trainer Byron McClelland. This would be the last year the race ran at one mile and a half; the new distance would be one mile and a quarter. Churchill Downs President William F. Schulte debuted the Twin Spires and a $100,000 grandstand on the backside. Jockey James Perkins guided Halma home in 2:37 ½ to win $2,970.
By Charles Christian Cook
Localtonians wish a Happy Birthday to Taylorsville native Cliff Carlisle , born in 1903. The country music pioneer and yodeler 1st played at radio station WHAS-AM in 1930, which made him a local star. Later that year, they recorded for Gennett Records and Champion Records.
Monday, May 6, 1907, Pink Star won the 33rd Kentucky Derby easily , the only entry with blinkers on. J. Hal Woodford owned and bred the colt, William H. Fizer trained, and Andy Minder received a leg up. The heavy track caused the slow winning time of 2:12 3/5. The $6,000 purse gave $4,850 to the winner, $700 for 2nd and $300 for 3rd .
Pink Star and jockey Andy Minder after their win; Photo Unknown
On May 6, 1925, Lexington’s Kentucky Association track hosted the Blue Grass Stakes , aka the Derby Trial, on the last day of the Spring Meet. Around 8,000 watched Step Along easily win the $3,000 added purse against some entries by H.P. Headley and Col. Bradley. However, Fly Ebony won on May 16 and Step Along finished 5th .
On May 6, 1926, the family of President Zachary Taylor interred his remains on the family’s Springfield home . On July 4, 1850, Taylor participated in Independence Day ceremonies at the Washington Monument. Upon returning to the White House, he ate a large quantity of iced milk and cherries. He died five days later, possibly from the contaminated desert; however, rumors spread someone had poisoned him.
May 6, 1928, Deputy Constable James H. Bush, Floyd County Constable’s Office , died from a gunshot in Ligon while attempting to arrest a man at a dance hall after a shooting.
On May 6, 1939, Johnstown won the 65th Kentucky Derby for Belair Stud , their 3rd Derby. Samuel Ogle, a Provincial Governor of Maryland, established Belair Stud in 1747. In 1898, James T. Woodward bought the property and built large new stables in 1907. James left the property to his nephew, William Woodward, Sr., who made Belair Stud a major racing and breeding operation from 1930 to the 1950s Johnstown won in 2:03 2/5 and earned $46,350. James E. Fitzsimmons gave James Stout a leg up.
On May 6, 1942, UK inaugurated Herman Lee Donavon as its 6th president . The day began with a student reception in the Student Union Building, followed by the ceremony on Stoll Field, and back to Union for a luncheon.
On May 6, 1944, Warren Wright’s Calumet Farm homebred, Pensive, won the 70th Kentucky Derby . The winning time for Calumet’s 2nd Derby was 2:04 1/5, which earned $64,675. Trainer Ben A. Jones notched his 3rd of six Derbies. Jockey Conn McCreary won his 1st of two. Pensive became the 1st Kentucky Derby and Preakness winner to lose the Belmont. It proved the beginning of an eight-race losing streak before Pensive retired to stud. He died 13 days after his son Ponder won the 1949 Kentucky Derby. Ponder’s son Needles, in 1956, made it three generations of Derby winners.
On May 6, 1945, over 400,000 Nazi troops surrendered , and America announced they would discharge 2,000,000 men, leaving more than enough to fight the Japanese; all the while, many Europeans faced starvation. Meanwhile, a Harrodsburg family learned the Germans captured their son, Capt. Burford Davis, and then rescued by the Allied Troops.
On May 6, 1946, eight inmates at LaGrange Reformatory got baptized in a small clear lake about one mile away. Two were serving life; the others had 10-30 years remaining. The youngest was 22, and the oldest was 48. Each one was submerged, and each one came out wobbly and cold. The ministers, volunteers, and guards ended the ceremony with everyone singing Swing Low Sweet Chariot .
On May 6, 1950, Texas-bred Middleground won the 76th Kentucky Derby for King Ranch , 16-year-old jockey William Boland, and trainer Max Hirsch. The race went in 2:01 3/5, and the winner earned $92,640. Middleground finished 2nd in the Preakness after a rough trip, but he bounced back to win the Belmont. WHAS-TV broadcasted their 1st Kentucky Derby for locals only. The 1st national showing occurred in 1952.
May 6, 1961, Carry Back won the 87th Kentucky Derby for Katherine Price; her husband Jack trained the Florida bred colt. Jockey Johnny Sellers achieved his only Derby during an illustrious career. The winning time of 2:04 over a good track earned $120,500. Carry Back raced twenty-one times as a two-year-old.
Localtonians wish a Happy Birthday to Lexington native George Clooney , born in 1961.
On May 6, 1962, the Lexington Kennel Club held its 21st All Breed Dog Show at the Keeneland Race Course . The tickets cost .50 cents for adults, and children entered free. More than 500 dogs representing 125 breeds participated.
May 6, 1966, Army PFC Harvey W. Prater from Louisville and Army SP4 Stephen E. Thomas from Glasgow in Barren County died in the Vietnam War.
May 6, 1967, Proud Clarion won the 93rd Kentucky Derby for Darby Dan Farm, jockey Bobby Ussery, and trainer Loyd Gentry Jr. in 2:00 3/5 and earned $119,700. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. had a significant impact on this Derby. Dr. King, fearing a Derby protest would bring too much violence and do more harm than good, made a speech in Louisville declaring the race would be left alone and called off any organized demonstrations at Churchill Downs.
May 6, 1968, Marine Corps LCPL Kenneth R. Newsome from Ashland in Boyd County died in the Vietnam War.
On May 6, 1973, federal and Indian negotiators announced an agreement to end the 68-day occupation of Wounded Knee by Natives. Unlike previous peace attempts, this document included procedures for disarming and evading the sacred land. The historic event was a long time coming, after years of “Government Indian Policies.” Two Natives died, one U.S. Marshall became paralyzed, and several received wounds.
May 6, 1978, Affirmed won the 104th Kentucky Derby for Harbor View Farm, Walton native Steve Cauthen, and Laz Barrera in 2:01 1/5 for $186,900. Florida bred Affirmed was the 11th Triple Crown Winner.
On May 6, 1981, the UK Board of Trustees approved a tuition hike and a 12.9% hike in room and board . Tuition went from $341 to $370 for a semester for undergraduates. Around 65% of students chose a meal plan that offered two meals a day, five days a week, and that cost went from $1,596 to $1,802.
Friday, May 6, 1983, the Madden Derby Eve Bash displayed the “Earth Star,” a coffee-colored pearl-shaped 111.59-carat diamond that hung on a necklace studded with 20 more carats. A New York firm shipped it to Lexington via USPS with $1.5 million in insurance. It stayed in a bank, and they delivered it to the party in an armored car. Anita wore it for a few minutes, but Kentucky 1st Lady Phyllis George Brown had the privilege for an entire evening in 1977 for a Texas event.
May 6, 1989, Sunday Silence won the 115th Kentucky Derby for H-G-W Partners . The partnership included Arthur B. Hancock III, who bred the colt and Charlie Whittingham, trainer. Charlie sold part of his interest to Ernest Gaillard to complete H-G-W. Pat Valenzuela guided Sunday Silence home in 2:05 over a muddy track for his only Derby win. The winning connections earned $574,200.
May 6, 1991, Corporate America continued to have their way to the detriment of America . AT&T and NCR Corp reached a $7.4 billion merger. The deal capped the biggest takeover in 1991 and one of the biggest since the 1980s merger mania. Meanwhile, privately insured patients paid more for prescription drugs because pharmaceutical companies raised their prices by 20%.
On May 6, 1994, while a Johnson County school superintendent faced 18 counts of theft , Queen Elizabeth II and President Mitterrand opened the Channel Tunnel. Meanwhile, groups joined forces to fight the new Joe Camel campaign.
May 6, 1995, Thunder Gulch won the 121st Kentucky Derby for Michael Tabor, Gary Stevens, and D. Wayne Lukas in 2:01.27 which earned $707,400. It was the 1st time the number 16 post won.
May 6, 1996, historical papers, some from the Cassius Clay estate, remained locked up in the basement of Richmond’s City Hall . A dispute started when the county clerk sent several boxes of papers to the city recycler. The Richmond mayor refused to dispose of them and filed a restraining order until a court decided ownership. One of the documents was an original deed for an enslaved person.
May 6, 1997, Rick Pitino announced his resignation at Kentucky to take the Boston Celtics head coaching position.
May 6, 2000, Fusaichi Pegasus won the 126th Kentucky Derby for Fusao Sekiguchi, Kent Desormeaux, and Neil Drysdale in 2:01.12. This was the last Derby broadcast on ABC, ending a 25-year association; NBC now provides coverage. The winning time of 2:01.12 earned $1,038,400.
On May 6, 2004, President George Bush told the world he was sorry for American soldiers’ abuse of Iraqi prisoners ; however, he confirmed Donald Rumsfeld would remain Defense Secretary. The next day, Americans woke up to see the now infamous picture of Ashland (Boyd County) native Lynndie England holding a leash around the neck of an Iraqi prisoner lying on the floor.
By U.S. Government Copyright
May 6, 2006, Barbaro won the 132nd Kentucky Derby for Roy and Gretchen Jackson of Lael Stable in 2:01.36 and earned $1,453,200 . Jockey Edgar Prado and trainer Michael Matz get their only Derby win to date. There are two horse statues on Churchill Grounds property. One is of Aristides, winner of the 1st Kentucky Derby; the other is Barbaro. The colt’s death in 2007 captured the attention of a nation. Yum! Brands sponsored the race for the 1st time.
On Sunday, May 6, 2012, over 2,400 students walked the line and received their diplomas inside Rupp Arena in UK’s 145th commencement. The school conferred 4,155 degrees in three different ceremonies.
May 6, 2017, Always Dreaming won the 143rd Kentucky Derby for Brooklyn Boyz Stable, MeB Racing, St Elias Stable, and Teresa Viola Racing. John Velazquez and Todd Pletcher each won their 2nd Derby. The winning time of 2:03.59 earned $1,635,800.
May 6, 2020, Ryan Quarles, Kentucky Agriculture Commissioner, referring to the coronavirus pandemic, “We’ve hadn’t seen a stress on the American food supply system since WWII.” Kentucky, which produces more cattle than any other east of the Mississippi, couldn’t butcher them fast enough .
May 6, 2021, Governor A. Beshear announced that indoor and outdoor businesses serving fewer than 1,000 customers could increase their capacity to 75% by the end of the month. He also said fully vaccinated people gathering indoors no longer needed to wear masks.
May 6, 2022, the governor and the legislature continued to bicker like school children , this time over who sat on the Executive Branch Ethics Commission. The governor hand-picked the commission members until the Assembly passed a bill that changed that; therefore, Governor A. Beshear filed a lawsuit.
On May 6, 2023, Kentucky bred Mage won the 149th Kentucky Derby for a lucky group of owners, trainer Gustavo Delgado, and jockey Javier Castellano, who came home in 2:01.57. The connections split $1,860,000. The race was the most-watched sporting event and second most-watched show (behind the Academy Awards) since the February Super Bowl. During the 2023 Derby week, seven horses died at Churchill Downs, including two on Saturday.
On May 6, 2024, Thomas Massie updated his constituents on Speaker Johnson’s latest moves. The two political parties always work together to fund more war, America’s endless wars.
