LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Churchill Downs is rich in history. The track first opened in 1875 and has since become home to the longest continually run sporting event in America.
The horses, mint juleps, and architecture account for so much of the story… but for the people who keep it running it’s more than just a job, it’s a piece of them. That is especially true for Greg Bush, the Vice President of Mutuels & Special Projects at Churchill Downs.
As he walks across one of the many balconies at Churchill Downs, Greg Bush is face to face with a flood of memories.
"I look out across there and I see where I got married. That's really cool,” Bush said, pointing to the Winner’s Circle.
He exchanged vows with his wife in 1993, in the heart of Churchill Downs. It was an easy choice, he said.
RELATED: WATCH | The Greatest Two Minutes: WHAS11's Kentucky Derby documentary
"Where else would I get married? With all of the connections I have here, my love for this place. She did shoot me down when I said we should come up on horseback, she wouldn't go for that,” Bush said.
The tradition of the track ties back to almost every part of his life. His childhood, wedding, career and a series of important names.
"We've got two puppies, Rosie and Oakley. For roses and Oaks”, Bush said.
The name of his daughter was another negotiation with his bride.
"If you have this baby on derby weekend were going to name her Derby and then the middle name will be whoever the winning jockey is”, Bush joked with his wife, “And then she said what about Darby? I liked that."
I do's, dogs and a daughter, all traced back to Churchill Downs.
"It’s the greatest place on earth,” Bush said confidently.
He started at Churchill Downs as a teenager. "When I was in high school, I wanted to be a jockey. So, I did work in the stable area, with the horses. But that was short lived. Genetics got me. I decided that was not something I wanted to do for the rest of my life,” Bush remembered.
Instead he built a career on the other side of the turf- earning a degree he could use behind a wagering window.
"When I graduated college I had offers from other businesses to go to work for them and I was like ah, no. I enjoy being around the races,” Bush said.
Racing has been an important part of his life for as long as he can remember.
His father, Lovell Bush, had a 71-year career at the track. Everything Greg does today, he said he does with his dad in mind. "He's looking down and smiling."
The two worked together for one year, in 1991, after Bush accepted his first “big boy” job at Churchill Downs. That made Derby 117 extra special. Thinking back, he says the track was a completely different place.
Bush said, "I'm going to describe it as a large battleship. It was a big white building. It had all of the emergency staircases on the outside of it. It was just an older looking building."
Since then, the racetrack has re-invented itself time and time again... something that has come with challenges. He remembers Derby 140, in 2004, as one of those years.
"It was the demolition derby. There was no club house building here. So, all of these seats that were in the long-term going to be built, and all of the seats we had before, we tore it down. Got moved to the infield. We built a four-acre tent in the infield- which you could tell it was a tent if you looked up. But it had hard walls, all the amenities you had in this building but it was out in the infield. That was the year we had a torrential downpour as the race ran. I remember watching video that day and people were swimming in the infield,” Bush said.
Another race day that stands out among the rest was Derby 2007, when months of preparations led up to a visit from the Queen of England.
"From the time we were notified that she was coming we had like 32 meetings with our security service and their counterparts over in England. Doing the planning on when is she coming, how is she getting here, what's her path from entering the property, getting to the gate. I remember one of the first meetings we're standing out there and they asked, ‘where does that manhole cover go to?’ They were afraid some ninja was going to come out and do something”, Bush said with a smile.
Churchill staff have always been known for a focus on hospitality but went above and beyond to make Derby Day one the queen would never forget. "Our chef at the time created a special blend of tea because she enjoyed her afternoon tea everyday so she could have her special derby tea while she was here", Bush said.
He called that year a high. But, as with everything, there have been lows. 2020 was a difficult year. The Derby was rescheduled for a Saturday in September, which is something Bush said they would do differently, if they could go back now.
"When we were making the plans we felt as though we might come out of COVID earlier than we did and we would have stands full of people. That's why we moved it to September”, Bush said, “Obviously we didn't get to that. We ended up with just the horsemen who were racing with us that day, they were the only ones allowed to come out. We probably would have run it in the spring hindsight, but that was a crystal ball we didn't have."
Bush hasn’t quite figured out how to see into the future, but he can give you a peak into the past. His coworkers consider his office a treasure trove of sorts. From jockey bobble heads- to American Pharoah’s poo- you will quite literally see it all in his second-floor office.
He knows how to appreciate the best of horse racing history, something he attributes to the tradition and people who came before him, especially one person in particular.
"He used to tell me how proud I made him. When he would seeing me rising, getting to where I had accomplishments. He was so proud,” Bush said about his dad.
That pride resonates in the Churchill Downs leader today, who looks forward to every Derby Day when he gets to see his passion for the races reflected on more than 100,000 faces.
►Contact reporter Shay McAlister at smcalister@whas11.com. Follow her on Twitter (@WHAS11Shay) and Facebook.
►Make it easy to keep up-to-date with more stories like this. Download the WHAS11 News app now. For Apple or Android users.
Have a news tip? Email assign@whas11.com, or visit our Facebook page or Twitter feed.