The 148th Kentucky Derby is set to kick off this weekend in what's called "the greatest two minutes in sports." The race will be closer to home this year as a pair of Minnesota owners will have their horses competing.
Jeff Drowns is the owner of Zandon, the current betting favorite among the horses, and Barry Butzow is the owner of Zozos.
Both owners joined News Talk 830 WCCO's Vineeta Sawkar to discuss the race and what they are looking forward to on Saturday.
Drowns, a resident of Clearwater, shared that while the race is just days away, he isn't really sure what to expect, but they are "extremely excited."
"It will just be a really fun day to go over to Louisville and get in the gate and have a shot at the Kentucky Derby," Drowns said.
It's not only uncommon to have two horses from Minnesota competing in the derby in the same year, but this will also be the first time in two decades that Minnesota is represented at the derby.
Butzow, a resident of Eden Prairie, shared that it's great for not only Drowns and himself to be at the Derby this Saturday, but it's also great for the state of Minnesota.
Drowns says that what makes it even better is that this isn't something he ever planned for when raising his horse.
"It's just almost impossible to explain. It's something you don't expect. It's something that just happened," Butzow said. "I think both Jeff and myself would agree, you didn't buy the horse or raise the horse with the intention of being in the Kentucky Derby, but it's phenomenal to be there."
When it comes to how their horses have gotten to this point, Butzow says you need to not only have a great group of people around you but also "a whole lotta luck to go with it."
"It's a team effort. When you get a horse, you hope for the best," Drowns said.
When it comes to who is crowned the winner when the dust settles, Butzow shared that at the end of the day, all you can do is hope, but seeing a Minnesota-filled podium wouldn't look too bad.
"If we finish one-two, it would be a wonderful thing," Butzow said.
While a win would be nice, Drowns and Butzow said that the biggest thing is having their horses come back healthy.
The race will kick off this Saturday, May 7, at Churchill Downs in Kentucky.
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