Louisville was heading into Derby Day with a chill that fit more like March than the first Saturday in May. The 152nd Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs was forecast to reach a high of 59 degrees on Saturday, and Friday night’s Kentucky Oaks was run with the temperature listed at 60 degrees at the race’s 8:40 pm ET post time.
The crowd for the Oaks was 103,290, a reminder that cold weather was not keeping people away. Saturday’s forecast also carried a 20-percent chance of rain early in the day, but racegoers and observers could expect a dry, fast racetrack that afternoon.
For a race day that is usually wrapped in spring weather, the forecast stood out. WLKY said Saturday would be among the coldest race days since 1989, when Sunday Silence won the Kentucky Derby and the thermometer dropped to below 40 degrees as sleet fell. Rain is often part of the picture in Louisville on the first Saturday in May, with precipitation having fallen there 13 times since 2000.
The weather may matter most to the horses. They are generally more comfortable in cold conditions than in warm weather, while heat can increase stress and make them washy. That gives the forecast an upside for the field even if it leaves spectators reaching for heavier layers at Churchill Downs.
So the answer to the day’s biggest weather question is straightforward: Louisville Ky Weather was cold, but not disruptive. The track was expected to stay fast, the crowd was already large, and the Derby was set to run under conditions that favored the horses more than the forecast favored the fans.
