Racehorse with local ties to sport Colorado flag during Kentucky Derby

DENVER (KDVR) — This weekend is the 150th running of the Kentucky Derby, and this year’s field includes a horse with a unique connection to Colorado.

Derby contender West Saratoga is named after West Saratoga Avenue in Englewood. The horse’s owner, Harry Veruchi, grew up on West Saratoga between Federal Boulevard and Decatur Street.

“I used to walk over to Centennial Race Track with a friend and we’d sneak in because you had to be 16 and we would just go in and watch the races,” Veruchi said.

Veruchi said Centennial Race Track is where he fell in love with horse racing.

“Sometimes my buddy and I would bet candy bars. He’d pick a horse, I’d pick a horse and whoever won got a candy bar,” Veruchi said.

The track closed in 1983 and the land near Belleview Avenue and Federal Boulevard was redeveloped into a housing community and shopping center. Although, there are still a few nods to the bygone era that remain.

In the draft for yearlings, a gray horse stands out

Veruchi followed his passion for horse racing and went on to own more than 100 horses over the last 42 years.

In 2022, Veruchi said he coordinated with his trainer, Larry Demeritte, to purchase a new horse to train and race.

Yearling sales work like the NFL draft: More sought-after horses are bought in the first, second and third book and can go for $1 million or more. Veruchi’s budget was $15,000 to $20,000.

“There was 15 horses left out of thousands of horses and (Larry) says, I like this gray horse,” Veruchi said. “He calls me back and says, I got that gray horse for 11,000.”

The gray horse is West Saratoga.

“He would have been like the mid-pick of the 12th round (in the NFL draft). That’s how low he was,” Veruchi said.

According to Veruchi, this is the second time he has named a horse West Saratoga. The last was back in the 1980s. That horse never won any stakes races and did not go on to breed other race horses. He decided to reuse the name now simply because he likes the name.

“The people who live there now. They may say, hmm, that’s kind of weird. I live on West Saratoga,” he said.

West Saratoga sees success on the racetrack

West Saratoga saw success on the racetrack almost immediately. In 2023, he won the Iroquois Stakes at Churchill Downs, which put him on the path to the derby. He solidified his place after taking second in the Jeff Ruby Stakes in March.

“Ah, amazing. Just totally amazing. It’s something people dream of in this business. It’s kind of like the Super Bowl of horse racing,” Veruchi said.

Veruchi and his horse are considered the underdogs of the derby. Current odds sit at 50-1.

“The reason he’s not getting a whole lot of respect, you look at the owner, he’s a no-name. The trainer is a no-name. And also, I paid 11,000 for the horse. People look at that and think, next,” Veruchi said.

By contrast, one of the favorites in this year’s Kentucky Derby, Sierra Leone, fetched $2.3 as a yearling. His odds are 3-1.

However, Veruchi said he “always” bets the underdog.

“You just never know. You just never know what can happen,” he said.

Watch for the Colorado flag at the Kentucky Derby

During the race, West Saratoga’s jockey will be wearing a bright yellow shirt with red and blue stripes on the arms. It will feature the Colorado state flag across the back. All of the jockeys on Veruchi’s horses have donned the same uniform since the 1980s.

“I want to show everybody I’m from Colorado. Show all these Californians up,” he said.

After 62 years of living in Englewood, Littleton and Castle Rock, Veruchi moved to Arizona where he now spends his time playing golf, tennis and pickleball with his wife. His daughter and her family live in Vail.

The whole family plans to be in Louisville to watch West Saratoga in the Kentucky Derby. The race is on Saturday, May 4, at 4:57 p.m. MST.

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