Kentucky Derby Horse Midnight Bourbon Says Neigh To His Bath And Goes Bonkers
Midnight Bourbon had a run from his bath before the Run for the Roses. (Watch the video below.)
The Kentucky Derby contender ran amok in a barn area of Churchill Downs on Monday, stomping through hay and raising a ruckus until handlers could corral him, the Courier-Journal reported.
The 3-year-old thoroughbred had just completed a fast training session for the May 1 race and was about to receive his post-workout washdown when he broke loose. A handler regained control of him as she held on to another horse.
Midnight Bourbon who's trained by Steve Asmussen gave everybody a tense moment on the backside as he gets ready for the 147th running of the Kentucky Derby. @WHAS11 pic.twitter.com/aSjxsSOr3G
— Kent Spencer (@WHAS11Kent) April 19, 2021
It’s not unusual for a horse to escape handlers on the Churchill Downs backside, the Courier-Journal noted. But given that Midnight Bourbon is preparing to compete in horse racing’s premier event, his romp probably got a few hearts racing.
The colt, purchased for $525,000 by Winchell Thoroughbreds at a 2019 yearling sale, has a first, second and third place in three races this year. He was listed as a 15-1 shot in the derby by CBS Sports on Tuesday.
And, yes, he finally did get this bath.
Bath time for Midnight Bourbon @WHAS11 pic.twitter.com/vmkev5vgPn
— Kent Spencer (@WHAS11Kent) April 19, 2021
This article originally appeared on HuffPost and has been updated.