Anywhere from four to six jockeys are expected to wear aerodynamically-engineered Speed Silks® brand jockey silks in this year's 142nd Kentucky Derby (G-I).
Speed Silks are a form-fitting, head-to-toe equine jockey uniform made entirely out of Aero Dimplex®, an aerodynamically-engineered fabric that's textured to actively reduce aerodynamic drag. Speed Silks are the only jockey silks worldwide that use this technology.
Matt Darby, founder of Darby Racing Technology, LLC and inventor of Speed Silks, says four Derby horses will likely be ridden by jockeys wearing Speed Silks, with a possible fifth and sixth, depending on circumstances.
"We're especially happy that one of our clients happens to have the betting favorite this year," Darby says, referring to Reddam Racing LLC's Nyquist. "We've been watching his career closely since he was a hot 2-year-old. I have photos of each of his graded stakes wins on my office wall."
"We also make Speed Silks for Big Chief Racing, who's fielding Exaggerator, Michael Lund Petersen's Mor Spirit, and Twin Creeks Racing's Destin. The first three have actually been Speed Silks customers for quite some time, but Twin Creeks called us right after Destin won the Sam F. Davis at Tampa Bay. They wanted brand-new silks in case they were able to run in the Derby; they had seen our product on other jockeys, loved them, and called us first."
Twenty horses are expected to run in the $2-million race at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky. Darby says fans may also see Speed Silks on WinStar Farms' Creator, but that he won't know until race day. WinStar has a big barn, he says, but only a couple of pairs of Speed Silks.
Finally, Steve Landers' Dazzling Gem is an also-eligible, but if he sees the track on race day, his jockey will definitely be in Speed Silks, Darby says.
This year's Kentucky Derby is just the third since Speed Silks first went on sale, and they have been worn in all three. The product has been on the backs of five Grade-I Breeders' Cup winners in the past two years, including Bayern, winner of the $5-million Classic in 2014. Including this year's Kentucky Derby, Speed Silks will have been worn in six of the last seven Triple Crown races.
Darby adds, "We'll see Speed Silks in the Kentucky Oaks on Friday, and we'll have jockeys wearing our stuff all up and down the undercard races on both Oaks day and Derby day. We hope to have a lot to crow about by Saturday evening. We're still a very small company with a very new, bleeding-edge product, so an opportunity like this is extremely exciting."
Speed Silks are sold across North America, and in 2015 became approved for use in Australia and the entire Asia-Pacific region, where Darby says business is quickly taking off. Speed Silks have also been sold for use in Great Britain and France.
The Speed Silks product lineup incudes jackets, helmet covers, jockey pants and boot sleeves – a product unique to Speed Silks.
Examples of the product can be seen at SpeedSilks.com/Gallery.
Matt Darby is available for comment at (806) 570-6920.