LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Louisville native, John Sutton has a den is full of Derby memorabilia. 

What You Need To Know

  •  John Sutton has attended 83 Derbies

  • The Louisville-native is also an author on the subject

  •  Earlier this year he released a book ,"A Real Life Exacta" which details each Kentucky Derby he's attended

His collectibles represent all the Kentucky Derbies he’s attended — 83, to be exact. 

The 91-year-old went his first Run for the Roses when he was just eight years old. 

“Well, of course I started out young and it was like a thing for me, like music is for some people with concerts and things. In those days there were very few opportunities,” Sutton said. 

Sutton began attending the event with his family, who passed down their love of horse racing. 

“I just took a liking to it and my father was an aficionado of horse racing and my grandfather was a blacksmith which handed down horse situations.”

Sutton has had time to try various betting strategies for the horse race over the years. 

“I bought every two-dollar ticket for every horse so that I would have the winner.”

Sutton is adding his own work to his Derby collection.

He recently published a book detailing every Kentucky Derby he has attended.  

“It’s an account of each Derby and a short synopsis of that Derby since 1940. I remember every running and every horse in there,” Sutton said of his book.

Sutton wrote the book with his granddaughter. “A Real Life Exacta” was released earlier this year. 

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