#Derby May 2

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Today is the traditional date for the Kentucky DERBY. Thanks to COVID 19 it will be run on Saturday September 5, 2020. When the event takes place this fall in Louisville KY it will be the 146th for this horse race.

The first Saturday in May is pretty special to me and my family. My parents Francis D. Kenney and Patricia Lynch were married on the first Saturday in May 1952 in Far Hills NJ. The date was May 3, 1952. If they were alive tomorrow would have been their 68th wedding anniversary.

The Borough of Far Hills is not a big place with less than a 1,000 residents. It is located in Somerset County. It is also home to the USGA Headquarters and Museum.

The USGA mailing address is listed as Liberty Corner, NJ but I still call it Far Hills. One of my aunts and uncles used to live adjacent to the USGA and my brothers and I spent time retrieving balls hit by Iron Mike on the USGA driving range during Sunday dinner visits.

Far Hills NJ is a place where the majority of my Aunts and Uncles on my mom’s side of the family lived. I along with my five Kenney siblings spent many a Sunday in Far Hills with my cousins or aunt who had the last name of D’Epagnier, Bourke, Kiely, Lynch, and Patrias.

Far Hills NJ Train Station

Far Hills also has a love affair with horses.

Each fall more than 35,000 spectators converge on the rolling hills of Moorland Farm in Far Hills, New Jersey to attend the area’s biggest social event of the fall season, Far Hills Race Meeting.

Moorland Farms Far Hills NJ

October 17, 2020 will mark the 100th running of this timeless tradition, featuring the finest steeplechase thoroughbreds in the world running against a backdrop of autumn splendor. Just like Churchill Downs there is wee bit of drinking done at Moorland Farms.

My mom used to tell me the guests at her wedding reception in Far Hills NJ were gathered around the radio to listen to who won the Kentucky Derby. In 1952 it was Hill Gail ridden by Eddie Acaro. To top it all off my grandfather my mom’s dad Henry Lynch was a show horse jockey in Far Hills NJ before he died.

Not having the DERBY is just one more example of how things can change fast in our lives. Take nothing for granted.

Coach4aday

My purpose in life is to coach. I am a former collegiate basketball coach, director of athletics, and chief of staff. I worked at four NCAA Division I & II universities during my career. At each campus I learned timeless lessons on teamwork and leadership. Today my passion is coaching others on what it takes to lead, serve, and succeed.

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