Martha Stewart was named the Grand Marshal at the 150th Kentucky Derby and was given the honor to deliver the iconic “Riders’ Up!” line to start the race; however, she messed up.
“Riders up!” is a traditional phrase in horse racing to signal to jockeys that it’s time to mount their horses and get ready for the race. While it is announced for every race by an official or an announcer before a race begins, at The Kentucky Derby, it is a televised event as the horses gear up for the iconic “Run for the Roses.”
Many celebrities were spotted at this year’s Kentucky Derby, including NFL star Travis Kelce, WWE stars Becky Lynch and. Seth Rollins, and this year’s Grand Marshal, Martha Stewart.
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Martha Stewart Confuses Kentucky And Connecticut At Kentucky Derby
Every year, the Grand Marshal is honored with announcing the iconic line “Rider’s Up” which kicks off one of America’s biggest sporting events of all time.
In 2024, for the 150th Kentucky Derby, Martha Stewart was honored with the title. However, when she announced the iconic line, she messed up, leading fans to think she was either drunk or high.
For those who did not watch the event, Stewart messed up by saying Connecticut instead of Kentucky, where the Derby is held.
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Fans Are Ready For The ‘Connecticut Derby’
“I, too, am ready for the Connecticut Derby. #MarthaStewart,” one user wrote on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter.
“Martha Stewart giving the riders up at The Kentucky Derby. She was definitely high,” one user shared along with a video of her mishap.
“Martha Stewart is pickled to the point where she doesn’t even know what state and/or commonwealth she’s in. Yikes!” another said.
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Martha Stewart ‘Nailed It’
Another user shared the video, sarcastically saying that Martha Stewart “nailed” the “Rider’s Up” line.
Another said, “Martha Stewart has been hitting the sauce at the Kentucky Derby…someone take away her mint julep.”
“Martha Stewart giving the riders up at The Kentucky Derby. She was definitely high,” one user said.
Another X user posted, “Martha Stewart was hammered at the #KentuckyDerby.”
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Mystik Dan Wins The 150th Kentucky Derby
Aside from Martha Stewart’s mishap, fans were shocked when Mystik Dan (18-1) took home the title of the 2024 Kentucky Derby.
The big race ended in a photo finish, and it took several minutes to determine an official winner. Forever Young and Sierra Leone were just fractions apart.
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The Kentucky Derby Celebrates 150 Years
The Kentucky Derby is held annually in Louisville, Kentucky, and is the first leg of the American Triple Crown, followed by the Preakness Stakes and the Belmont Stakes.
Established in 1875, the Derby is often called “The Run for the Roses” due to the blanket of roses traditionally awarded to the winner.
Trainer Brad Cox, a Louisville native, previously explained how hard the process can be to enter a horse into the Kentucky Derby. “It’s very tough to keep [the horses] on the path to get to the Derby, get into the Derby,” he said. “And then, hopefully, it all goes well, and you get a good, clean trip.”
Larry Demeritte Makes History At The 150th Kentucky Derby
Larry Demeritte, the trainer of West Saratoga, didn’t win the Derby, but he still made history as he was the first Black trainer to enter the Kentucky Derby in decades.
“My dad was a horse trainer, and he put me on the horse’s back when I was pretty young… I know them before I know myself, and I know I wanted to be in the horse industry,” he recalled of his childhood. “I said, ‘Well, I don’t want to be a jockey because their careers don’t last long. I know I’m not going to be a worker, so I have to be a horse trainer because I could do that til’ I die.'”
Demeritte was the first black trainer to participate in the Kentucky Derby in 35 years, the last being in 1989. Before that, there hadn’t been a Black trainer since 1951.
