The arguments seem to carry extra weight as the horse-racing industry tries to reinvent itself. Yet in the past decade, the Derby has failed to make the top 75 list any year as one of the most-watched sports programs. The National Football League dominates the ratings and has had as many as 42 of the top 75 programs. As many as six million people reportedly listened to the Derby on radio in 1932 when the nation's population was 123 million. And Secretariat, the greatest racing machine in history.
Romantics find it mesmerizing.
Gin - Kentucky Derby winners in 1992, '93 and '94. Those who suggest the Derby has lost its allure decry the early retirement of many of its bigger names. Fusaichi Pegasus, last year's Derby winner, retired after a nine-race career. We barely got to know you. Seabiscut raced 70-plus times and developed a perception, real or imagined, of greatness.