Oldest living Kentucky Derby winner celebrates birthday. Here’s how to watch.

Loving your job may not guarantee longevity, but Go for Gin, the oldest living winner of the Kentucky Derby, is a prime example that it certainly can’t hurt. Winner of the 1994 Derby, and a resident of the Hall of Champions at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington since 2011, Go for Gin will celebrate his 29^th birthday on Friday with a Horse Park Facebook Live event, one day before the anniversary of his foaling date of April 18, 1991.

“Gin enthusiastically enjoys his job as an ambassador at the Kentucky Horse Park,” said Rob Willis, manager of the Hall of Champions. “Of our eight champions, Gin is still the most vibrant and active. He greets thousands of visitors yearly of his own volition.”

Gin is frequently seen peering out his stall window at the front of the Hall of Champions, giving visitors a chance to walk up and say hello. According to Willis, the Hall of Champions’ Derby Winner Nightcap, normally offered at 3:30 p.m. from April 1 through November 1, came about because of Go for Gin. The presentation gives visitors a chance to see Gin turned out into his paddock for the night.

“When you turn him out, he gets very excited, still demonstrates his athletic ability,” Willis said. “It’s one of the highlights of the day. People leave here very happy.

“It’s like he’s on the payroll. He very much likes being treated as a racehorse … he truly loves what he’s doing.”

The Horse Park had planned an in-person celebration for Gin’s 29^th birthday, but the park’s attractions are currently closed because of COVID-19. But thanks to technology, which the Horse Park has been using to give the public access, horse lovers in general and Gin’s fans in particular can see his virtual party unfold live on Facebook at 2 p.m. Eastern time.

Go for Gin’s birthday celebration can be accessed on the Kentucky Horse Park’s Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/hashtag/khplive. If you can’t join the live event, a recording will be available on the park’s Facebook page and on its website at https://kyhorsepark.com/visit-khp/virtual-tours/.

Willis and Hall of Champions employee Paul Caywood will introduce Go for Gin, go over his credentials as a resident of the Hall of Champions, and spend some time brushing him. Gin will then be presented with a birthday cake in the pavilion where the Hall of Champions presentations take place. And, if all goes well, Gin will show his athleticism as he is turned out in his paddock adjacent to the Hall of Champions barn, where he has entertained so many visitors over the years.

Racing career

Go for Gin earned his stall in the Hall of Champions on a rainy May 7, 1994, at Churchill Downs, scoring a front-running victory in the Derby on a sloppy track at odds of 9-1 as favored Holy Bull finished 12^th in the field of 14. Ridden by Chris McCarron, owned by William J. Condren and Joseph Cornacchia and trained by Nick Zito, Go for Gin paid $20.20 to win. He went on to finish second behind Tabasco Cat in both the Preakness and Belmont Stakes. Although he never won another race after the Derby, Go for Gin did go on to finish third in the Forego Handicap and fourth in the Woodward Stakes as a 3-year-old. His final race came on Derby Day in 1995, when he finished third in the Churchill Downs Handicap.

Bred in Kentucky by Pamela Darmstadt duPont and foaled at Pillar Stud, the bay son of Cormorant out of the Stage Door Johnny mare Never Knock was retired in 1995 after suffering a tendon injury. In addition to his Kentucky Derby victory, Go for Gin won the Remsen Stakes and the Chief’s Crown Stakes as a 2-year-old, and the Preview Stakes at 3. He finished second in both the Fountain of Youth Stakes and the Wood Memorial before winning the Derby. He earned $1,380,866 with five wins, seven seconds and two thirds in 19 career starts.

Off the track

Go for Gin entered stud in Kentucky in 1996, and was later moved to Maryland. His first crop of foals included Albert the Great, who went on to earn more than $3 million, but overall his career as a stallion was disappointing. In 2011, he was pensioned from his breeding career, and arrived at the Horse Park as a Hall of Champions resident.

Go for Gin is a youthful 29, which Willis attributes to several things. Gin’s sire, Cormorant, lived to the age of 33. But the routine the Hall of Champions residents enjoy also contributes to that longevity.

“He appreciates still being treated like a racehorse and a stallion,” Willis said. “He gets basic grooming, he gets fed twice a day. He loves what he does — he makes us look very, very good.” Gin looks so good despite his age that Willis said, “If you took him to the breeding shed, you could literally put him up against a 15-year-old.

“He’s well-muscled. He’s a tank.”

Gin’s favorite things include peppermints, grape lifesavers, Herballs (a horse treat) and having his gums rubbed. And despite being a vibrant and active stallion, Gin is a very kind horse.

“He doesn’t take cheap shots,” Willis said. “He’s never mean.” An additional benefit to the park is that if a worker or volunteer has never handled stallions, Gin is a great place to get started. “Someone works with him for a month, and they can move on to another stallion,” Willis said.

And Gin enjoys being in the spotlight when the park is open to the public and offering Hall of Champions presentations twice a day in the pavilion, in addition to the Derby Winner Nightcap.

“He basically shows every day at least once a day,” Willis said. “And he’s the star of turnout every day.”

Although most people who visit the Horse Park aren’t familiar with the Hall of Champions residents, saying Kentucky Derby winner gets their attention. Gin shares that distinction in the Hall of Champions with Funny Cide, winner of the 2003 Derby and Champion 3-year-old Male that year.

Hearing about horses earning millions of dollars gets visitors’ attention, too. And, in addition to their presentations in the pavilion, Gin and others are available for meet and greets at their stall doors.

Once the park reopens to visitors, if you want to feed Gin a peppermint or take a picture with him, “98 percent of the time we can accommodate that,” Willis said. “It’s like meeting Michael Jordan or LeBron James. Even people who don’t know horses have an appreciation when they leave. And hopefully, we have some new fans of racing.”

Friday

What: Facebook Live birthday celebration for Go for Gin, the oldest living Kentucky Derby winner

When: 2 p.m.

How to watch live: Visit the Kentucky Horse Park’s Facebook page at #khplive

How to watch later: A recording will be made available on the Kentucky Horse Park’s website and its Facebook page.

This story was originally published April 16, 2020 at 1:36 PM.