Louisville, KY - In May, it is usually the Kentucky Derby that draws attention to Churchill Downs, but a lesser known tradition is the Louisville Armed Forces Committee’s “Day at the Races” for Armed Forces Day on the third Saturday. This year, four special guests will be joining local service members and veterans on May 16. The Thoroughbred Sub Club will be hosting sailors from the Ohio-class ballistic missile submarine USS Kentucky (SSBN 737) (Blue).

According to Thoroughbred Sub Club organizer Philip Setters, the sailors will be enroute from their homeport in Bangor, Washington, to Naval Submarine Base Kings Bay in Georgia for training. “When I learned USS Kentucky would be passing ‘through’ during the Armed Forces Weekend, I insisted on them spending some time with us,” said Setters.

Commander Eduardo Fernandez, who took command of USS Kentucky’s Blue Crew in March, said, “I greatly appreciate this opportunity to visit with some of our great supporters here in the state of Kentucky. I and my crew are honored to serve on the ‘Thoroughbred of the Fleet’ and to be associated with this great state and such wonderful people. Thank you for your support.”

The submarine USS Kentucky is the third U.S. Naval vessel to be named in honor to the Bluegrass state, and the twelfth Ohio-class submarine commissioned. For more information, please visit: <https://www.kentucky.navy.mil>.