LOUISVILLE, Ky. — On your mark, get set, goooooo really, really slow.
Normally thoroughbreds would be running the Kentucky Derby this weekend, but because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the horses are stabled and in the pastures until September, being replaced by turtles, WDRB reported.
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The Kentucky Turtle Derby will be run, er crawled, Saturday.
The first Kentucky Turtle Derby was held in 1945 at the local armory, according to WDRB.
May 2, 1945, to be exact. It’s exactly 75 years later that the turtles will be running once again.
The 1945 horse race had been delayed because of a ban on racing ban invoked by the government during World War II. So instead of hosting the fastest two minutes in sports, Louisville hosted what may be considered the slowest race in sports.
More than 165 turtles were brought in crates to the track, with 20 being chosen for each of the seven races, according to a 1945 article from The Courier-Journal, posted by the Kentucky Derby Museum.
In the end, a turtle named Broken Spring won, leading the pack, traveling 20 feet in two minutes.
The race earned $8,000 for a children’s health charity after all the bets were paid out, according to museum records.
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This year, the race will happen once again. It will be called by Triple Crown announcer Larry Collmus and bugler Steve Buttleman will be playing before the race, WDRB reported.
You can watch the race here on Saturday at 7 p.m.
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