I grew up with the Kentucky Derby. For 23 years (1983-2005), my parents threw the biggest Kentucky Derby party in New England. On the first Saturday in May, snow finally melted, friends would pack our home in Northfield, Vermont, for the greatest two minutes in sports. There were mint juleps, fancy hats, and — thanks to my dad’s computer-programming skills — wagering. If you attended even one Murtaugh Derby Party, it stayed with you.
Earlier this month, I watched the greatest Derby performance of my lifetime. Golden Tempo — at 23-1 odds — was behind 17 other horses (last place) midway through the mile-and-a-quarter race. And he won the Kentucky Derby. Over 40 seconds of the most scintillating ride since Paul Revere’s, jockey José Ortiz held on for dear life as Golden Tempo wrote the best comeback story sports will deliver in 2026.
Which brings me to the current state of things here in Tennessee, neighboring Kentucky, but with very different national perceptions right now. The two states’ only link, for the purposes of this column, is a feeling of being in last place. Last place by measure of morality, brotherhood, tolerance, and progress. I’ll go even further: the United States of America — if we were racing countries right now — occupies a last place of its own. The decayed thinking of six Supreme Court justices has not just shifted a nation’s axis, but essentially removed whatever metaphorical force gave America shape. (Let’s call these villains by name: Roberts, Alito, Thomas, Gorsuch, Barrett, and Kavanaugh. They are doing bad things to good people, and on purpose. This is a general definition of the word evil. All six of these people, it should be noted, were appointed by Republican presidents.)
The Court’s destruction of the Voting Rights Act allowed the putrid, backwoods thinkers in the Tennessee legislature to immediately spread the evil by splitting Memphis into three congressional districts, virtually erasing the voting voice of thousands, most prominently our Black population, the largest in the state. It’s insidious behavior by lawmakers who know they cannot win on merit and policy, so will move any goalpost (finish line?) they can to achieve their version of victory. Voters in Memphis are now in a bloc with voters who live 200 miles east, some in the suburbs of Nashville. The idea that interests coincide across those miles is as outlandish as the Memphis Grizzlies playing games in Nashville. But here we are.
I don’t have a solution here, but I know it begins with voting. In 2022, 33 percent of eligible voters in Tennessee actually voted in the midterms. (This according to data compiled by the United States Election Project.) With a chance to shape Congress, two-thirds of eligible voters in Tennessee said, “not for me.” You know one of these voluntary absentees. You may be one of them. And this must change. As last-place as it feels right now, I’m not convinced a majority of Tennesseans are for exclusion, separation, and denial, relics of a Jim Crow past that will remain past, no matter the efforts of racists wearing ties in the Tennessee capitol. Vote in every election. You make a difference, unless you stay home and choose not to.
I lost my mom last November. She liked to remind me, in bleak times, that her family motto was “Never give up.” When I watch replays of Golden Tempo’s gallant run at Churchill Downs, I swear my mom was in the ear of Ortiz as he stared at the backsides of 17 horses he was chasing for the greatest crown in racing. Golden Tempo never gave up. Matter of fact, he seemed to know it was his race to win. Perhaps we can channel a horse’s spirit in these bleak times in Tennessee. Lord knows, we’re staring at some horse-ass, and need to find our stride. Much more than a blanket of roses awaits when we prevail. Let’s never give up.
Frank Murtaugh is the managing editor of Memphis Magazine. He writes the columns “From My Seat” and “Tiger Blue” for the Flyer.
