Churchill Downs Press Release
LOUISVILLE, Ky.– Star quarterback Patrick Mahomes, the two-time NFL and Super Bowl MVP for the Kansas City Chiefs, has been granted the special honor of commanding the jockeys to mount their horses as the announcer for this year’s Riders Up for Kentucky Derby 149 at Churchill Downs on Saturday.
Hosted at the Derby by the Barnstable Brown team, Mahomes will make the official call in the paddock on NBC just before the Kentucky Derby race, which has a post time of 6:57 p.m. (all times Eastern).
Ahead of Derby Day, Louisville native and seven-time Paralympian gold medalist Oksana Masters will be giving the Riders Up command for Friday’s Longines Kentucky Oaks, which is scheduled for 5:51 p.m.
“Riders Up!” is the traditional command from the Paddock Judge for jockeys to mount their horses in advance of the upcoming race. But since 2012, Churchill Downs has reserved that special honor for a dignitary or celebrity attendee when it comes to the Kentucky Derby.
Other celebrities who have had Riders Up honors include John Calipari (2012), Charlie Strong (2013), Julius Irving (2014), Teddy Bridgewater (2015), Sean Peyton (2016), Jeff Bridges (2017), Laila Ali (2018), Baker Mayfield (2019), D. Wayne Lukas (2021) and Jack Harlow (2022).
