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May 3, 2013
The Mission Viejo News
Kentucky Derby 2013 | Seeing celebrities is an old Derby Day tradition John Asher has seen lots of celebrities at the Kentucky Derby over the past 30 years, but one of the two biggest show-stoppers was actor Jack Nicholson in 1998. “Crowds halted and parted like the Red Sea wherever he went that day,” Asher, vice president of racing communications at Churchill Downs, said. The other was Britain’s Queen Elizabeth in 2007. “I think all members of our racetrack team felt that Derby Day was a bit more special than most,” he said. “And that’s saying something.” But even before the movie star and the queen’s visit, a who’s who of some of the world’s most famous faces has attended the Kentucky Derby. From Presidents Richard Nixon, Ronald Reagan, Gerald Ford and both George Bushes — to Judy Garland, Babe Ruth and John Wayne — here’s a look back at some of the biggest stars who have been spotted at Churchill on Derby Day. • J. Edgar Hoover, the first director of the FBI, baseball legend Babe Ruth and boxer Jack Dempsey were both guests at the 1937 Kentucky Derby. • Pictured wearing flowers in her blond hair, a dark dress and chic black gloves, “Peyton Place” beauty Lana Turner was all smiles at the 1941 Run for the Roses, which she attended with legendary singer Tony Martin. • “The Wizard of Oz’s” Judy Garland was a guest in 1953. The day before the race, she told a Courier-Journal reporter she hadn’t decided what she was wearing, saying, “By golly, I haven’t thought much about that. If it is a dull, rather cool day, I’ll wear a suit. If it’s nice and bright, I’ll wear a light dress.” • Just a few months into his first year as president of the United States, Richard Nixon and his wife, Pat, came to the Kentucky Derby in 1969. The couple hung out at Churchill Downs with another famous duo — Ronald and Nancy Reagan. • In 1976, comedian Bob Hope (who came multiple times) and movie star John Wayne were among the VIPs. Wayne was also the Pegasus Parade grand marshal that year. • Former President Gerald Ford was a guest in 1987. • A-lister Dennis Hopper attended Derby multiple times in the 1990s and 2000s. The “Easy Rider” and “Speed” star was spotted enjoying a cigar on the fifth floor of the Skye Terrace in 2004, his reported last Derby visit. Movie star Morgan Freeman was spotted in Churchill’s Skye Terrace and Eclipse Dining Room at the 1991 Derby. Page 26
• In 1991, Gen. Norman Schwarzkopf was the Pegasus Parade grand marshal. Louisville was one of the famed general’s first stops after he returned home from the Persian Gulf War. On Derby Day, cheers could be heard erupting several times when Schwarzkopf was spotted on the deck of the fourth-floor Stakes Room. • In his signature black shades, actor Jack Nicholson was on hand betting the ponies at the 1998 Run for the Roses. That same year “The Godfather” legend Robert Duvall and “Rocky” star Sylvester Stallone were also on hand. • Then-Gov. George W. Bush, a year before he would become president, was a big hit at the Kentucky Derby in 2000. He was even snapped by a photographer in the Paddock giving a Louisville woman a kiss on the hand before presenting a trophy to the winner of one of the day’s races. His date? Former President George H.W. Bush. • In 2003, Academy Award-nominated actress Sigourney Weaver came to Churchill Downs. She told reporters she was putting her money on Atswhatimtalknbout, part-owned by her famous movie director friend, Steven Spielberg. • Chubby Checker brought the “Twist” to the Derby City in 2004 when he was the grand marshal of the Pegasus Parade. • Because of one VIP guest of the Barnstable Brown Gala, Louisville native Larry Birkhead would later find himself thrust into the national limelight. It was at the 2004 bash that he first came face to face with Playboy Playmate Anna Nicole Smith.
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• Queen Elizabeth made history when she came to the 2007 Kentucky Derby as the first sitting British monarch to attend. Her Derby Day outfit? A lime green suit and matching hat with a hot-pink bow, and her trademark white gloves, of course. • He might be one of the biggest names in late-night TV, but in 2007, Jimmy Fallon knew Louisville was the place to be on the first Saturday in May. After partying at the Barnstable Brown Gala, the “Saturday Night Live” alum kept the good times going when he hung out with some University of Louisville Sigma Chi fraternity brothers. • KISS legend Gene Simmons caused a media frenzy when he came to the Barnstable Brown Gala and Kentucky Derby in 2007 with his wife, Shannon Tweed, and her sister, Tracy. The trio’s every move at the party and racetrack wase captured by the film crew from their A&E reality show, “Gene Simmons Family Jewels.”
• International bombshell Raquel Welch was a guest of the Barnstable Brown Gala in 2007. • Years before Hugh Hefner tied the knot for the third time, the Playboy legend and former girlfriends Holly Madison, Kendra Wilkinson and Bridget Marquardt were guests of the Barnstable Brown Gala in 2008. Cameras from their hit E! show, “The Girls Next Door,” captured their Louisville trip. • The “Queen of Soul” Aretha Franklin did Derby in 2009. • Domestic diva Martha Stewart said she had “a real Derby experience” when she attended for the first time in the 2011 as guests of former Louisville Mayor Harvey Sloane and his wife, Kathy. She said the backside of Churchill Downs and a barbecue lunch at the western Louisville home of the sister of the local police officer who was escorting her around town were among the highlights of her trip.