Last Saturday, a three-year-old colt named Justify, ridden by jockey Mike Smith, charged through the finish line of a historically sloppy track to become the winner of the 144th Kentucky Derby. The thrilling win, the fifth Derby victory for Justify’s trainer, Bob Baffert, was the culmination of an eventful and interesting weekend  ? the third I’ve had the privilege to attend as a media guest ? hosted by the race’s official timekeeper, Longines. Here are some highlights, along with details on all the Official Watches of the Kentucky Derby and the actual models awarded to the winners.
Proctor’s Ledge, ridden by jockey John Velasquez, wins the Longines Churchill Distaff Turf Mile preceding the Derby race.
The day of the Kentucky Oaks race, held on the Friday before the Derby, is all about the ladies. The race itself, first run in 1875 when Churchill Downs was still known as the Louisville Jockey Club, is a stakes race for three-year-old fillies, with a pink carpet for celebrity entrances and a pink color scheme dominating the day’s fashions for both men and women. (The Kentucky Oaks is, in fact, typically the third highest attended thoroughbred race in the country, ahead of the Belmont Stakes and behind only the Derby and the Preakness Stakes.) Longines has been the Title Sponsor of the Oaks race since 2013 and also hosts a fashion show on the pink carpet during the afternoon, with more than 100 participants ? mostly ladies but also some gentleme...