Trying to pick her top Kentucky Derby memory was not an easy task for WLEX-TV news anchor Nancy Cox, who will be back at Churchill Downs Saturday during the station’s day-long Derby coverage that starts at 8 a.m.
Cox finally settled on two memories — one sad and one exciting.
“In 2008, I was watching closely as Big Brown stormed across the finish line first. We were all cheering hard for the filly, Eight Belles. She was closing fast, so I kept watching her gallop out,” Cox said.
“Then the whole world watched in horror as she broke down. Where we were positioned, we could see a lot the TV cameras didn’t show. People were crying. It was such a tragic end to a terrific day.
“It was very difficult to go back on the air after that. Our producer threw out the entire script for our next show, because the content and tenor of our coverage changed drastically. We had to improvise quickly.”
The other memory comes from 2002 when War Emblem won the Derby — and made Cox a happy woman.
“This sounds nuts, but weeks earlier I had a dream about a horse winning the Derby with the word ‘war’ in his name. I hadn’t looked at any horses at this time,” Cox said. “Closer to the Derby, I first saw War Emblem. He was beautiful! The exact color I love.
“He was somewhat of a longshot, but I knew he was my horse. That was the first time I bet more than two dollars on a race. I almost couldn’t contain myself when that beautiful horse went wire to wire. What a thrill!
“I recently saw him again at Old Friends Farm in Scott County. I told him about my dream. He bit me.”
