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Pat Kelsey dresses up, poses with Louisville legend Harry Douglas at Churchill Downs

Danby: Daniel Hager05/02/26DanielHagerOn3

With his Louisville Cardinals enjoying a monstrous offseason, which involves hauling in On3’s No. 8 ranked Transfer Portal class, Pat Kelsey took some time to enjoy the 152nd Kentucky Derby on Saturday.

Kelsey, donning a pink blazer and a tan hat, posed with Louisville football legend Harry Douglas prior to Saturday night’s race. The Cardinals have become synonymous with the running of the Kentucky Derby, as Churchill Downs sits just down the road from L&N Stadium in Louisville.

Along with Kelsey, Louisville‘s Transfer Portal additions Flory Bidunga and Jackson Shelstad were in attendance on Saturday. Bidunga was one of the best available players in the entire Portal, while Shelstad was one of the most prized guards in the Portal. Heading into year three of the Pat Kelsey era, the Cardinals are seeking a return to the second weekend of the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2015.

Golden Tempo wins 152nd Kentucky Derby, could go after Triple Crown

Golden Tempo made a late move down the stretch to win the 152nd Kentucky Derby. One of the long shots entering the week, the 19 horse helped make history in more ways than one. Trainer Cherie Devaux is now the first female trainer to win the Kentucky Derby, seeing her only horse in the field reach the line first.

After winning the Kentucky Derby, Golden Tempo now faces options. The owners and trainer will come together to form a gameplan which best sets up the most famous 3-year old horse for long-term success. For the horse racing community, the hope is for a Preakness bid in two weeks.

It would make the shortest turnaround of his career, but also puts him in position to sit in horse racing history with the greatest of all-time as a Triple Crown candidate. If they are able to make the short turnaround, winning the Triple Crown’s shortest race, there would surely be another bid for glory.

The Belmont Stakes is run three weeks after the Preakness, giving more recovery time to the horses in the field before running a longer distance again. To win all three, a horse must possess a historic balance of speed, stamina and recovery speed which allows it to compete against fresher opponents in the final two stages.

13 horses have ever won all three races, starting with Sir Barton in 1919. After a run of successful bids in the 1930s and 1940s, there was a long gap to Secretariat in 1973. 1977 and 1978 got the only ever back-to-back Triple Crown runs from Seattle Slew and Affirmed.

On3’s James Fletcher contributed to this report.