Kentucky Derby Announces Big Role for Patrick Mahomes on Saturday
Two-time Super Bowl MVP quarterback Patrick Mahomes, who kicked off the commencement of the 2023 NFL draft last weekend, has now been tabbed to start off “The Fastest Two Minutes in Sports”.
It was announced on Wednesday that the Chiefs star signal-caller will give the famous “Riders Up” declaration at the 149th running of the Kentucky Derby.
Since Kentucky Derby officials decided to have a celebrity give the call in 2012, Mahomes now joins Broncos head coach Sean Payton (2016) as well as free agent quarterback Teddy Bridgewater (2015), a former Louisville star, as honorees with ties to the NFL.
The Kentucky Derby will be run this Saturday, May 6, with a scheduled post time of 6:57 p.m. ET.
The 1 1/4–mile race, with a $3,000,000 purse, finds a full field of 20 entrants.
.@Chiefs MVP @PatrickMahomes will call Riders Up for the 149th running of the Kentucky Derby on Saturday.
— Kentucky Derby (@KentuckyDerby) May 3, 2023
Paralympian gold medalist and Louisville Native Oksana Masters will call for Riders Up for the Oaks on Friday. pic.twitter.com/PXbBvIXOoI
The post-time favorite has won six of the last ten runnings of the Kentucky Derby. However, the last four post-time favorites have all been defeated. This year Todd Pletcher-trained Forte, who is six-for-seven in his career, is the morning-line favorite at odds of 3/1.
According to the Kentucky Derby website, “’Riders Up!’ is the traditional command from the Paddock Judge for jockeys to mount their horses in advance of the upcoming race. ‘Riders Up’ typically occurs across from Stall 1 in the Saddling Paddock around 6:25 p.m. ET or 19 minutes in advance of the start of the Kentucky Derby. After the command, jockeys receive a leg up on their mounts and immediately turn right to the Paddock Runway, which leads to the racetrack.”
Last year, Louisville native, multi-Grammy nominated rapper Jack Harlow gave the “Rider's Up” call prior to the 148th Kentucky Derby.
Other previous sports celebrities chosen for this illustrious honor include Julius Erving (2014), Charlie Strong (2013) and John Calipari (2012).