The drive before the walk

Shortly after Stately Victor won the Toyota Blue Grass Stakes, it dawned on the father-son ownership team of Tom and Jack Conway that they would be attending the Kentucky Derby this year not as fans but as participants.

From there it would be understandable if their imaginations had blanketed them in roses, but instead of dreaming of running to the winner's circle they thought of walking to the paddock.

"The Walk" has taken on a life of its own in the seven years I've covered the Kentucky Derby and has turned into a can't-miss part of the build up to the greatest two minutes in sports.

Some journalists won't make the walk with Kentucky Derby connections because they feel it intrudes on what should be a private moment, but in terms of getting a feel for how the crowd responds to the favorite and the emotions of the connections, it's a must for me.

For the past three years, my main assignment for the Thoroughbred Times Derby issue has been to profile the winning owner, and observing The Walk has given me keen insight on what having a Derby starter means to the people who fuel this game we love so much.

I'll never forget the smile on Tracy Farmer's face in 2005 when he made The Walk with Sun King, his first Kentucky Derby starter after years of participation in the breeding and racing industry. Farmer was luminous and the manifestation of pure unadulterated joy. When I think of what the Kentucky Derby means to people, I think of Farmer's appreciation to be a part of it rather than someone's reaction after winning it.

My "Walk" is actually drive. Of the 525,600 minutes this year, the 75 I spend driving from Lexington to Louisville eight days before the Derby are among my favorite.

As the horses collect in the gap before heading over to the Derby paddock, I always picture the trainers taking one last big breath before making that first step toward the 150,000 screaming fans. For me that moment occurs before I get in the car because the week in Louisville is a whirlwind and that hour and 15 minutes of solitude preceding it are a welcome respite.

The soundtrack to The Walk is a din of encouraging yelps and catcalls from those seated between the thirteen-sixteenths pole and finish line as Derby participants walk clockwise around the outer rim of the main track. The soundtrack to my drive is a Derby mix CD that I put together each year. The first third of my drive is made under the watchful eye of  the denizens of Central Kentucky horse farms, a scene the yields to the Kentucky Bourbon Trail as the final path to Louisville metro.

More important than the scenery, however, is the background noise, so without further adieu here is my track listing for the 2010 Kentucky Derby mix:

1. "Keep the Car Running" by Arcade Fire
2. "Constructive Summer" by The Hold Steady
3. "A Better Son/Daughter" by Rilo Kiley
4. "Parachutes (Funeral Song)" by Mates of State
5. "Because I'm Awesome" by Dollyrots
6. "Code Monkey" by Grammar Club (J. Coulton cover)
7. "Roc Boys" by Constant featuring Jay-Z
8. "Non-Dairy Creamer" by Third Eye Blind
9. "Down With the Sickness" by Richard Cheese
10. "The Little Engine Who Couldn't (Think Straight)" by Bryan Scary
11. "A Stare Like Yours" by the Thermals
12. "Sex Changes" by Dresden Dolls
13. "Between Two Lungs" by Florence and the Machine
14. "Chips Ahoy" by The Hold Steady
15. "Lexicon" by Lunavelis
16. "Gin & Juice" by the Gourds
17. "Dixieland Delight" by Alabama
18. "Jungleland" by Bruce Springsteen

See you in Louisville.