A stroll through Kentucky Derby history as the race celebrates its 150th running Saturday at Churchill Downs
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – On an unnaturally summer-like Sunday morning, six days before 20 horses will break from the starting gate for the vibrant and very much alive 150th running of the Kentucky Derby, the deceased rest largely unperturbed at Cave Hill Cemetery. The sprawling cemetery, a quick 6-mile ride from Churchill Downs, is the first stop of six on a very particular graveyard shift. Kentucky loves to celebrate the great steeds that have made its commonwealth famous.
The magnitude of African Cemetery No. 2 lies in its simplicity. It is just 7.7 acres , but more than 5,000 people are buried here; only 600, however, have headstones. One marker belongs to the Lewis family, and though only the names of Eleanora and William Lewis are chiseled into the monument, Oliver Lewis is buried here, too. On that first Derby race day, Aristides wore a green blanket with an orange stripe, “McGrathiana” also spelled out in orange.
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