The track was sloppy yesterday. Horses and jockeys covered in mud. This was the seventh timesince1876 that the National Weather Service characterized the track as "sloppy". There have been six races on "muddy" track. The coldest running was in 1940 when the temperature was 36 degrees. The warmest Derby Day was in 1959 when the temperature reached 94 degrees. In 1989 sleet was recorded two hours before post time. And, in 1918 2.31 inches of rain fell on race day. (That was one of the six days on which the track was recorded as "muddy").
1957 was another record breaking year. Derby Day, May 4, saw the coldest high temperature (47) and the coldest average daily temperature (42). The wind blew 20 - 25 miles per hour all day. Also that year, the Dodgers' Jackie Robinson retired from baseball rather than accept a trade to the New York Giants. Buddy Holly recorded "That'll Be the Day". Larry King made his radio broadcast debut. The first rocket with a nuclear warhead was fired in Yucca Flat, Nevada. And, Iron Liege won the derby on a fast - and cold - track in 2:02.2
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