PITTSBURGH (93.7 The Fan) — Medina Spirit was off to the races Saturday, so to speak, as the colt thundered to victory in the 147th Kentucky Derby.
Traditionally, the Derby has been the first Saturday in May, but COVID-19 derailed Churchill Downs’ traditions in 2020.
The Derby was delayed until September and was done after the Belmont Stakes last fall.
As with many other sports, it was a year like no other for horse racing.
Fast forward back to the present day, the now-winner Medina Spirit was able to race on the historic day in a somewhat routine fashion.
Stand capacities were still not at 100%.
But high-profile athletes, like center-stage Aaron Rodgers and Super Bowl champion Tom Brady, were able to attend the event.
Saturday's Kentucky Derby boasted over 50,000 spectators, in fact.
But what most viewers might not be aware of are the unique challenges that Churchill Downs faced with battling a virus that’s been seemingly everywhere over the past year.
And to combat COVID outbreaks, specifically, personnel at Churchill Downs turned to a Pittsburgh tech company to help keep the facilities clean, sanitized, and protected from the coronavirus.
This is where the Pittsburgh-based company AERAS enters the scene.
According to AERAS themselves, they are "the first and only recipient of the Federal Aviation Administration’s 137 certification specifically for sanitization purposes."
The company used their "patented charged-electrostatic drone technology" to bring the Derby back to normality at Churchill Downs Saturday.
And as I mentioned, the return to a normal Derby was a welcome sight, both to the fans in the stands and the audience at home.
"It’s awesome having a hand in bringing back massive in-person sporting events after a year of uncertainty," said Eric Lloyd, the CEO and co-founder of AERAS. "Seeing thousands of cheering fans enjoying the Kentucky Derby safely felt like a huge victory over COVID-19."
But let's dive a littler deeper into AERAS' methods.
AERAS used their technology to create their own army of drones hellbent on pathogen eradication, aka "AER-Force."
And their AER-Force was tasked with a simple yet critical mission: sanitize Churchill Downs.
The grounds needed a heavy hitter; there was still a pandemic to consider, after all.
And AERAS and their AER-Force were happy to oblige.
The company, founded in just 2020, uses its drones to "release a uniform output of small droplets to create an impenetrable disinfecting barrier along all grounded surfaces."
Like many sports fans in general, the people behind the Derby scenes wanted the race to be itself again, something that wasn’t possible and didn't happen in 2020.
"Like the rest of America, we’re hungry for live concerts and sports," said Jim Abel, AERAS' global director of business development. "It feels great to see our technology make this type of impact on live events and to be helping to return America back to normalcy."
It’s hard to imagine this being the last time AERAS’ services are in demand, either.
So the potential for more stadium disinfecting is there, especially with more outdoor sporting or entertainment events, such as football season or concerts, starting to trickle back into the schedule.