It’s the week of the 2024 Kentucky Derby, and Louisville residents and out-of-towners alike are getting in the racing spirit with a variety of events around town. Visitors might even have the chance to meet a famous jockey or Triple Crown artist at one event — and proceeds go to the Permanently Disabled Jockeys Fund.
The Louisville Thoroughbred Society is hosting a variety of celebrity guests on Wednesday for the finale of the “Brushes and Bronze” exhibition, including Pat Day, the 1992 Kentucky Derby-winning jockey; Kelly and Leslie Dorman, the parents of the Cody’s Wish’s namesake Cody Dorman; and artists Jaime Corum, Lisa Palombo and Jocelyn Russell.
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According to a news release from the Louisville Thoroughbred Society, the artists formed their collaboration during the 50th Anniversary Secretariat tour last year featuring “Corum’s three-story-tall mural of Secretariat in Paris, Kentucky; Palombo’s vibrant impressionist paintings showcased during several Golden Anniversary events; and Russell’s larger-than-life bronze monument of Secretariat, which served as the centerpiece of the traveling 50th Anniversary tour.”
Kelly and Leslie, with connections to racehorse Cody’s Wish, will also be in attendance. Kelly and Leslie’s son, Cody, was a best friend to racehorse Cody’s Wish after the two were introduced through Make A Wish. Cody was a Richmond native born with Wolf–Hirschhorn syndrome, a rare genetic disorder limiting his ability to move and speak, as previously reported by The Courier Journal.
According to Make A Wish, Cody died in November of 2023 after seeing Cody’s Wish win the California Breeders’ Cup the day prior. The family released a statement saying, “Cody watched his best friend, Cody’s Wish, display his usual perseverance and toughness in winning a second Breeders’ Cup. Those are the same characteristics Cody has showed time and again for the 18 years we were blessed to have him. We have been completely amazed to experience the impact Cody has had on so many people, through the journey that this wondrous racehorse has taken us all on.”
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Other guests include Danny Mulvihill of Godolphin’s Gainsborough Farm; Theresa Collins, the great-granddaughter of Rosa Hoots, who 100 years ago became the first woman to both own and breed a Kentucky Derby winner; and Susanne Blackinton-Juaire of S. R. Blackinton, the official artisans of the Kentucky Derby winner’s trophy.
The event is scheduled from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. at the Louisville Thoroughbred Society at 209 E. Main St. in Louisville. The event is free and open to the public but space is limited. Proceeds from live paintings and bourbon bottle customizations will support the Permanently Disabled Jockeys Fund.
