Ready for Derby Day? Yum Brands is

On this high holy day of horse racing, Churchill Downs and the fast-food hucksters at Yum Brands are nosing out tradition in a race to corporate-sponsorship hell.

I wrote about the sickening sponsorship before, but I still can't keep from getting irritated every time I think about what those marketing mavens have done to the Derby (or even what they've done to Kentucky Fried Chicken and Taco Bell -- remember when those places actually served good food a family could enjoy on a lazy Sunday afternoon? There was nothing like a great big bucket of love back in the good ol' days.).

While thoroughbred trade mag The Blood-Horse is going by the official name ("the Kentucky Derby, presented by Yum Brands"), the Lexington Herald-Leader is sticking with the race's original, unadorned title and running a story about reactions to the deal.

Jonathan Blum, senior vice president for public affairs at Yum, calls the sponsorship "tasteful but also highly visible."

OK. But I think Los Angeles "branding expert" (is he a rodeo pro?) Rob Frankel hits the nail on the head. "It's just one more sellout," Frankel says. "Why would you let something with the history ... of the Kentucky Derby be dragged down into fried chicken and a paper cup full of Pepsi?"

Amen, brother.

I love Kentucky. Had a great time when TDA played the Kentucky Bourbon Festival (even if it was "dry Sunday"). My favorite band of all time, Nine Pound Hammer, is proudly Kintuck. I could live on Ale-8. And my family tree grows up from just north of the Ohio River in a part of the Buckeye State that seems an awful lot like the Bluegrass State (with the snakes but without the bluegrass).

But one of the greatest things about Kentucky is its proud traditions (and fried banana peppers). I hope the people at the Derby figure that out by next year, and return the race to its unsullied form. Lose the logos and keep your soul.

P.S. Next time I'm in the Bluegrass State, I'm going to have to try Hall's on the River and some of the other great-sounding Kentucky restaurants anointed by Southern Living.

P.P.S. Bonus for reading through this entire nostalgic rant: a great mint julep recipe from Epicurious.