Each spring as the Kentucky Derby grows near, a kind of frenzy hits a wide section of the population. People suddenly turn their attention to Churchill Downs, and the anticipation of the Run for the Roses sends everyone into "Derby fever." Here in his third book on the Kentucky Derby, Jim Bolus brings together a collection of his favorite Derby Stories that are sure to make an avid race fan out of anyone. Bolus covers a wide range of topics--from "the Duke" at the Derby; to the famous Derby photograph of the Fighting Finish in 1933; to his favorite Derby, the 1969 running. Also included are such champions as Whirlaway, Exterminator, Secretariat, Spend a Buck, and Nashua. Bolus has devoted a chapter to the Stevens family, whose horse-racing roots trace back more than 120 years, and to the Derby chart callers, those men who through the years have documented the race for posterity. Bolus also relates his own personal experiences as a bettor (and a loser!) on the Derby. In particular, he devotes a chapter to Holy Land, a horse who ran in the 1970 race but lost his jockey and the race. It's a pick Bolus has been kidded about a lot over the years. An authority on the subject, Jim Bolus has conducted hundreds of interviews about the Derby. With this book, readers will understand his passion for the grand old race and its traditions as they learn why so many get Derby fever every spring. Also by Jim Bolus are Remembering the Derby and Kentucky Derby Stories, both published by Pelican.

"People in racing have to be dreamers," says Jim Bolus in the beginning of his fourth chronicle of the Kentucky Derby. The Derby itself has been dreamlike in its history. After nearly fading into oblivion at the turn of the century, the Kentucky Derby has grown into a national cultural institution and the premier annual horse race in America, if not the world. The stories about this great race and its participants have grown through the years. They have evolved into both heroic epics and much-maligned tragedies. The author relates the triumphant tale of Regret, the first filly to win the Derby on what was her very first start of the year. He also tells of Riley, who, in spite of a muddy track, won the first Kentucky Derby held in the rain. Some of the shattered Derby dreams are described as well. Included is the story of the tumultuous feud between horse owner Jim T. Williams and jockey Roscoe Troxler, whom Williams accused of throwing the 1911 race. The author entertains and informs with his Kentucky Derby tales of the dreams realized and the dreams never achieved at Churchill Downs.