May 2, 2026, 6:45 p.m. ET
Before the 2026 Kentucky Derby started on Saturday, May 2, jockeys received a command to mount up from someone who had been in their shoes.
Pat Day, the legendary jockey who won the 1992 Kentucky Derby aboard longshot Lil E. Tee, delivered the traditional “Riders Up” call in the Churchill Downs paddock ahead of this year’s Derby.
The “Riders Up” call is typically reserved for celebrities who don’t necessarily have direct ties to horse racing. But it’s a fittingly iconic honor for Day, who still holds every career jockey record at Churchill Downs and is depicted in a life-sized bronze statue at the racetrack.
The statue recreates a famous photo of Day taken immediately after his Derby win, when the jockey stood in his bright red, polka-dotted silk with his arms outstretched and thanked God.
Day rode in the Kentucky Derby a total of 22 times in his career, but his only victory was in his 10th start. Day’s 1992 win with Lil E. Tee, a horse trained by Lynn Whiting, is considered one of the biggest upsets in Derby history.
Barn 18 at Churchill Downs has a commemorative sign that reads, “Home of 1992 Kentucky Derby Winner Lil E. Tee.”
Day has been open about how his faith helped him overcome struggles with alcoholism early in his jockey career. He became a born-again Christian in 1984, two years after his first Kentucky Derby mount.
Day was inducted into the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame in 1991. He also has a Kentucky Derby undercard race named after him, the Pat Day Mile, a Grade II stakes race with a $600,000 purse.
After he retired from racing, Day became a spokesperson for the Race Track Chaplaincy of America. Now 72, Day lives in Louisville and remains involved with Churchill Downs and the horse racing community.
