In 2020, coronavirus containment concerns led to the postponement of the Kentucky Derby for the first time since 1945. Just when we’d have been knee deep in the hoopla, there was only the same eerie communal silence that we’ll always associate with the pandemic’s early period. The race eventually was held on September 5, sans spectators, and won by Authentic. At the time, I was fascinated with the story of ’45, and the Derby’s delay owing to wartime constraints. Here’s a reprise.
The United States entered World War II in 1941 following the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. Subsequently the war effort altered daily reality on the American home front as a wartime prioritization of the economy led to rationing (food, gasoline and clothing); wage and price controls; and a tightening or elimination of non-essential activities.
As with the movies, sports went on somewhat as before, as deemed useful to entertain the public but without many actors and athletes who’d joined the armed services. Horse racing also was permitted during the war years, albeit it...Read more
