Former President Gerald Ford at the Kentucky Derby on May 7, 1983. On the sixth-floor Skye Terrace, he looked tanned and relaxed in a navy blue blazer. When asked about his Derby pick, the former president said his “sentimental and otherwise favorite is Country Pine,” who was owned by the son of his host, Darby Dan Farm owner John Galbreath. The 38th president, serving from 1974 to 1977, attended 13 Kentucky Derbys, more than any other president.  Photo by Paul Lambert. Herald-Leader Archive Photo

Former President Jimmy Carter cheered during Derby Day on May 7, 1983. Flanking him were breeder Tom Gentry and his wife, Kathy. It was Carter’s first and only visit to the Derby. Carter, who looked like a pro, surveying the track with his binoculars from the sixth-floor Skye Terrace, started his day by jogging at Gentry’s Lexington farm. He later helped saddle one of Gentry’s horses for the fourth race. The horse won. Carter was the 39th president, serving from 1977 to 1981. Ford and Carter weren’t the only high-profile politicians in attendance. Vice President George H.W. Bush also was there, a guest of Versailles horseman Will Farish, a longtime friend and hunting buddy. It was Bush’s first of four visits to the Derby. Former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger also attended. He was spotted in a third-floor box signing an autograph on a $100 bill. Photo by Gary Landers | Staff