NOTEBOOK

LOUISVILLE – There was a welcome sight never before seen on the backstretch at Churchill Downs yesterday morning: light-brown squad cars of the Jefferson County Sheriffs Dept. parked outside the barns of every Derby contender.

In past years, private rent-a-cops, hired for near-minimum wage, provided the main security for Derby horses. The sheriffs, who’ll be on duty 24 hours a day through Saturday night, were assigned by the Kentucky State Racing Commission. They’re part of a new program to ensure the integrity of the Derby that includes undercover agents and much more stringent drug testing, including pre-race tests for “milkshaking” – that is, giving horses bicarbonate of soda through a tube to increase their stamina.