By Jessie Oswald
In the weeks leading into the Kentucky Derby, as the horses settled into their surroundings and the Churchill Downs backside began to fill with morning onlookers, a social media project was brewing within the Kentucky Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association (HBPA) that would share a unique Derby experience with others.
The campaign was created and overseen by Eclipse-winning turf writer Jennie Rees, with the help of Bailey Romans, and provided a rare look at what happens behind the scenes with the Kentucky Derby contenders, as told through the eyes of the trainers' and owners' children. Using the Twitter hashtag #KYDerbyKids, around 14 sons and daughters posted videos, photos and news to the @KyHBPA Twitter account throughout Derby week. Although some of the older children used their own social media accounts to post candid videos and cleverly captioned photos, the parents of some of the younger participants submitted private photos for the Kentucky HBPA to post through its Twitter account.
As the account manager for the Kentucky HBPA's Twitter account, Rees uses the site to promote Kentucky horsemen and their accomplishments. The idea to recruit the kids of trainers to use social media to show a rarely seen side of racing came to Rees when a son of trainer Steve Asmussen retweeted her Twitter post about Asmussen's Terra Promessa winning Oaklawn's Fantasy Stakes Apr. 9.
“I got to thinking, how cool would it be to have these kids that are obviously into racing, that are the ultimate insiders, tweeting about the Derby?” Rees queried. “It just went on from there, and you could have as many as you could get.”
With only a few weeks to the Kentucky Derby, Rees took her idea to the Kentucky HBPA and a plan was created to bring it to life. Rees reached out to some Kentucky horsemen on the Kentucky Derby trail with older children, thinking the young adult population would be a great resource.
“This is a unique way to bring the passion of the Kentucky Derby and horse racing to teenagers and young adults, actually to people of all ages,” said Marty Maline, executive director of the Kentucky HBPA.
When Rees approached Tammy Fox, trainer Dale Romans' partner, she quickly volunteered 23-year-old daughter Bailey. Daughter of Fox and Romans–who saddled Brody's Cause to a seventh-place finish in the Kentucky Derby–Bailey Romans was an instrumental part of the Kentucky HBPA program.
“I know how amazing this sport is, but I think there are people that haven't had the opportunity to grow up in the industry like I have had,” said Bailey Romans. “I don't think they realize how wonderful this sport is. So I wanted people to see that and get a different side of horse racing than the two minutes of the Kentucky Derby. I wanted them to see all that goes into it and the fun mornings on the backside with my mom on top of a horse, sticking her tongue out and laughing.”
Bailey Romans signed onto the project early and soon became the #KyDerbyKids spokesperson. Over the course of a few days she appeared on a half-dozen or more local radio and television channels to promote the campaign.
“We had a lot of people favoriting and retweeting the things we were posting because it was original content,” said Bailey Romans. “It's stuff that can't be replicated from an everyday horse racing fan. This was very authentic and very much behind-the-scenes what goes on when you have a horse in the Kentucky Derby and I think people really liked it.”
Chance Moquett, 23, also wanted to show the personal moments in the barn that aren't seen by most people and give those that may be far from Louisville a chance to better know a racing team, feel like they're with them in the barn, and cheer on the horse. Although trainer Ron Moquett's Whitmore may have finished second to last in Saturday's Kentucky Derby, his son Chance was a #KYDerbyKids success with humor and wit in his insider's look at Whitmore's Kentucky Derby week.
“Anytime I get any kind of opportunity to advocate for the sport and get my generation involved, I'm 100 percent all about it,” said Chance Moquett.
Chance Moquett realized the extent of what he and the others were doing to promote the sport based off feedback he received from friends and strangers through social media. The success of the week-long project now has him brainstorming ways to expand the project for next year and possibly explore new endeavors to bring the love of horse racing to those without access to inside connections.
“It would be a great thing to continue and keep people involved and turn it into something a little bit bigger,” said Chance Moquett. “It was kind of last minute and impromptu and with the kind of response and the kind of feedback I received personally from it, I can't imagine how it might go if we had our hands on top of it.”
The objectives of the project were to do something positive for racing, bring the sport to a younger demographic, gain positive attention to the Kentucky HBPA, and increase the @KyHBPA Twitter accounts followers–all of which seems to have happened in the week since the #KYDerbyKids hashtag was introduced. The Kentucky HBPA tripled its Twitter followers and the idea was the buzz on the backside through most of Derby week. Rees lined up multiple radio and television interviews for Romans and Moquett and the pair used their spotlight to show a more personal side of racing.
“It went beyond any of our expectations,” said Rees. “But having said that, knowing what we know now, I think we just started to tap the potential of it.”
The Kentucky HBPA will donate $100 to the charity of choice for each of the #KyDerbyKids participants.
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