CJ staff working hard to provide in-depth Kentucky Derby coverage

We are working hard to bring you all things Kentucky Derby as we get closer to celebrating the 150th year of the biggest horse race in the nation. As you know the Derby is so much more than a horse race for our community. Last Saturday, the 35th Thunder Over Louisville air show and fireworks display was a spectacular event bringing together our community on both sides of the river and serving as the unofficial kickoff to Derby.

We had a team of reporters and photographers on the ground talking with residents and capturing compelling videos and photos of people from as far away as Hawaii as they enjoyed the airshow and fireworks. Our newsroom started preparing for Derby last year and has already produced hundreds of stories and photos. Expect many more over the next week as we provide comprehensive coverage leading up to Derby Day.

In keeping with all things Derby, our cover story this week looks back at how Louisville has changed over the past 150 years as Churchill Downs and the Kentucky Derby morphed into today’s mega event. The first race was held on farmland with little resemblance to today’s international event that draws thousands of people including queens, presidents, movie stars and top athletes. Courier Journal Reporter Maggie Menderski takes you on a journey down memory lane as she explores centuries of Derby history and its parallel with the city of Louisville.

Maggie’s story gives readers interesting nuggets like the first tickets were about $28 compared to the upward cost of $500 for a ticket today.

Maggie is the Courier Journal’s feature columnist who does an amazing job of finding interesting people and fascinating stories to write about. She is this week’s journalist spotlight, so you can learn more about how she became a journalist and about some of her favorite stories on Page 2A.

In today’s edition you can also find:

An interview with Elizabeth Strojan, the new director of the Louisville Metro Housing Authority, written by Metro government reporter Eleanor McCrary on Page 3A.

Our inspiration story this week features a Middletown woman who is pursuing her lifelong passion as a milliner and home builder. Shawn Siener shares her story with features reporter Kirby Adams.

From the Archives is a look back at the iconic riverboat the Belle of Louisville, including its first steamboat race decades ago.

In sports, Jason Frakes, who is the Courier’s award-winning horse writer and high school sports reporter, writes a beautiful story about longtime horse trainer Larry Demeritte, who will be the first Black trainer in the Kentucky Derby since 1989.

Mary Irby-Jones is the editor of the Courier Journal and the Midwest Region Editor for the USA Today Network. She can be reached at mirbyjones@courier-journal.com . Follow her on X (formerly Twitter) @mirbyj .