The Most Exciting 2 Minutes in Sports, The Kentucky Derby!

It's another day in the horse world, but a special day for Thoroughbred's.

It's the 137th running of the Kentucky Derby. Get out your favorite Mint Julep recipe and sit back and enjoy about two minutes of pure excitement as you watch these four legged athletes run to the finish line becoming one with their rider. It's a partnership. These are the 20 fastest, bred to run, 3-year-old horses in America. The pageantry, the colors of the silks, ladies wearing their best attire and spending months searching for the right hat to wear at the Derby all make us watch for hours before the two minute race for the win. We are honored to honor the horses. Millions of people will be watching, millions of dollars are bet on each horse in hopes of winning.

Money is spent on breeding Thoroughbreds, training horses, transporting horses, hay, feed, medical care, gas, hotels, restaurants, newspapers, so many people profit from the Derby and the Thoroughbred industry. There were more than 30,000 Thoroughbreds horses foaled in 2008 and only 20 of these 3-year-old beauties make it to the Derby.

Some went on to race in other contests, some went on to race at lower stakes, some were injured, some just were not fast enough and some found a brutal end in a slaughter house just South of the Border.

Horses, to some people, are a business to make money, only an investment. If it turns out unprofitable, get rid of the investment.

Then there are the horse lovers who look into the eyes of a horse and see a soul. They see a reflection of themselves, a kindness and willingness to partner with a human. Horses and humans have walked on earth together for centuries. Horse drawings were found in a cave in France dating back to 1300 B.C. We all know the recent history, horses fought in our wars, they carried our ancestor's across this land, they shaped our industrial age, and we still measure the muscle of an automobile by it "horse power." We have long been connected with the horse. It is what connects us to the Kentucky Derby. It's a romance with a large and powerful animal, that does what we ask of it, no matter the risk. Human footprints are found along side their hoof prints around the globe.

Where we would be be without them?

Our modern times are moving forward fast. Do we need horses? No, not like we did a hundred years ago. They are still an important part of our human connection to nature and ourselves. What other animal do you stand and look directly into their eye? Horses can take a person from a wheelchair and that person becomes equal with an able bodied rider. The only Olympic sport men and women of all ages compete against one another is on a horse. They make us equal. They can make a little girl smile when she pets a horse and an old cowboy smile when he is herding his cattle. Humans are drawn to equine and they are drawn to us.

So, enjoy the Derby, enjoy the horses and smile as you watch who makes it to the winners circle, this 137th run of the Kentucky Derby. It's an honor, I'll be watching, too.