Fittingly for a Friday the 13th post, this Kentucky Derby winner seemed to bring bad luck to everything and everyone he encountered on the track. Consider the following:
Did I mention that this equine bad-luck charm wore #13 in the Derby? Name him.
- Two of the four jockeys who rode him during his career committed suicide; a third drowned when just 19 years old.
- Five of the horses in his Derby emerged with injuries; six of the jockeys involved eventually died by suicide, accident, or medical mischance while still relatively young.
- Churchill Downs track management didn't get off unscathed as an unruly crowd estimated at 5,000 crashed the gates and swarmed into the infield, the grandstand and even the clubhouse without paying admission.
- The winner himself broke down after only two more starts; a comeback as an older horse met with only modest success, and he did no better as a stallion.
Did I mention that this equine bad-luck charm wore #13 in the Derby? Name him.
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