Happy Derby Day! While the people flock to Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky with their colorful hats, Sacramento is home to the first California winner of the Kentucky Derby. That horse that holds the honor is Ben Ali, named after his owner James Ben Ali Haggin. James Haggin, a real estate lawyer and investor in mining operations with Lloyd Tevis and George Hearst, owned much of the former Rancho Del Paso land grant north of Sacramento. By the 1870s, Haggin was managing one of the most prominent horse breeding and thoroughbred racing operations in California. Haggin purchased Ben Ali as a young colt in 1883 from a farm in Kentucky for $1,750. Ben Ali’s win in 1886, at the 12th Kentucky Derby, set a Derby record with a winning time of 2:36.50. The aftermath of Ben Ali’s win was controversial, however. Haggin bought every betting pool available on Ben Ali prior to the race. Newspapers speculated that Haggin’s bet might have landed him as much as $100,000 when Ben Ali won. There ...