Sunday, May 3, 1998

BY GREGORY A. HALL
The Cincinnati Enquirer

Kent Desormeaux exults aboard Real Quiet. (Patrick Reddy photo) | ZOOM |

LOUISVILLE -- Kent Desormeaux started in horse racing on Shetland ponies at age 6. On Saturday, he took Real Quiet, a colt with crooked legs, into the Kentucky Derby winner's circle.

"When I crossed the finish, I just started crying . . .," said the 28-year-old jockey, who won the race for the first time. "I couldn't thrust my fist up in the air high enough.

"I was on the highest cloud in the sky."

Trainer Bob Baffert, who won his second consecutive Derby, bought the horse that didn't look much like a winner as a colt for $17,000 -- an unusually low price. He bought him on behalf of owner Mike Pegram.

Real Quiet, was real confident as he finished a half-length ahead of second-place finisher Victory Gallop and the rest of the 15-horse field. He ran the race in 2:02.38 under partly cloudy skies and paid $18.80 to win on a $2 bet.

Mr. Baffert brought Real Quiet out of the barn last, so the noisy crowd of 143,215 -- the race's third largest -- wouldn't bother him. He didn't have to worry.

Jack Nicholson turns heads as he walks along the rail. (Craig Ruttle photo) | ZOOM |

All of the attention went to actor Jack Nicholson, who smiled, posed and proceeded to shush the crowd as he walked with the horses from the barn to the paddock before the race.

"It was a lot of fun, wasn't it?" asked Mr. Nicholson, who was attending his first Derby.

Even the recent Oscar winner had trouble getting into the paddock before the race, because he didn't immediately display a security badge.

Stars such as Sylvester Stallone and Teri Hatcher, who played Lois in Lois and Clark, also drew reactions from the crowd. Ms. Hatcher's husband, Brooklyn South actor Jon Tenney, was one of the lesser-knowns who elicited the popular refrain, "He's somebody, but I don't know who."

Angie Brown of Union, a veteran of two years in the infield, moved up in the world Saturday to box seats in the clubhouse, a welcome improvement.

"People here are caring about the races," the 23-year-old said. "They're not caring about how many mint juleps they can down. "I can actually hear the sounds this year."

For the people in the crowd who didn't bet on Real Quiet, the best sound may have been that of vendors hawking $5.75 mint juleps. Most roared to the announcer's call of "And they're off."

Grooms, exercise jockeys, owners, and their family and friends created a small city on the backstretch. Some of their makeshift houses were as swank as any seat on Millionaire's Row.

The crew of horse owners Don and Patty Ames of Louisville slept on an air mattress in the back of a pickup truck in shifts Thursday and Friday nights to guard the spot where the Derby horses line up to walk to the saddling ring.

Folks on the backstretch dined on an incredible spread of 100 pork chops, pulled pork, pulled chicken, beer, Maker's Mark Mint Julep bourbon, mints and even a Daily Racing Form cooler.

The Ameses have a box in the grandstand but prefer the backstretch.

"Over there you dress to the nines, but it rains on you and you can't move," Mrs. Ames said. "Over here it's more casual and you can relax and enjoy the day."

Robert Piercy, a horse owner from Louisville, settled along the outside rail underneath the overhang of a barn. They were positioned at the point near the last turn where many Derby winners have started their come-from-behind romps.

"It's great to have the owners pass," said first-timer Curtis Jett, 29, of Louisville, who could easily see the riskier city called the infield.

The biggest noise from that crowd was the whooping of men and boys encouraging members of the other sex to go topless.

Mayor of the Infield Davey Humes of Moline, Ill., presided over his 20th Derby party. His card says he offers race tips, julep tasting, temporary marriage annulments, resolutions of territory disputes and beauty contest judging.

Mr. Humes, who wore a black tuxedo coat with tails, a collarless white shirt and black shorts, took pride in his job. "It took me a few years to get to work into my position."