In the early morning light, deep in the whispering woods, BB stretched his arms toward the sky and gave a sleepy, fuzzy yawn.

His tummy gave a soft rumble—grooowwwl—and he began his usual search for some bigfoot breakfast… until something caught his eye.

Tacked to the trunk of an old pine tree was a colorful piece of paper, fluttering gently in the breeze. BB stepped closer, tilting his furry head as he studied the incredible sight on the flyer: a powerful horse covered in a blanket of red roses… and humans gathered in celebration beneath two tall spires.

At the bottom, the words read:
“Churchill Downs – Louisville, Kentucky – 151st Kentucky Derby This Weekend!”

“Hmmrruff?” BB let out a soft, curious grunt… He had heard whispers in the wind of this magical place—where the fastest horses raced, the fanciest hats danced, and music filled the sky. If humans gathered there to celebrate and cheer together, BB pondered, surely this Derby is somewhere a yeti needs to experience, too!

And so, BB tied on his best mossy green bowtie, tucked the flyer into his pack, and set off toward Louisville.

By the time BB reached the mighty race track, Churchill Downs shone in the bright Kentucky sun like a precious diamond… this place must be a dream!

BB could see thousands of humans in the most fantastic, beautiful outfits he had ever laid eyes on. The men were wearing such bold, bright suits. The patterns on the men’s jackets were so creative and brilliant… and the ladies’ towering hats—some were shaped like flowers, others with feathers and even fruit! Everywhere BB looked, there was color and cheer.

Statues of famous horses towered out front while excited fans stood in line trading green paper to get these funny slips of paper with a bunch of numbers and letters on them. No matter how hard he tried, BB couldn’t make any sense of these “B-E-T-S”… must be a human thing!

Tiptoeing through the crowd… his head on a swivel, BB couldn’t help but notice those tables piled with tea cakes and tiny sandwiches. Popcorn carts full of buttery treats and planted posies in purple painted pots served as the perfect cover for BB to sneak by and look for the horses running the race!

BB found a quiet corner behind the stables and peeked out. There, the horses were getting ready. While trainers and jockeys were busy washing and brushing them, BB couldn’t believe how big and strong these horses were! So many pretty colors—Bay, Palomino… and so tall! BB’s about 10 inches tall, that’s about two and a half hands in horse terms. They’re 17 hands tall!

As he took all of the sights in, BB couldn’t help but notice one of the competitors stood out—a strong chestnut beauty with a white blaze—was pawing nervously at the ground.

The tag on the stall read: “Galloping Gumdrop.”

BB could tell the young racehorse was anxious for the big race and, as only a yeti can, he gave the behemoth a reassuring grunt. BB had a special feeling about this fantastic filly.

Galloping Gumdrop leaned forward, bumping her nose gently against BB’s paw. With the quick flash of his bigfoot smile, he then scrambled back into the shadows as the crowd began to buzz with excitement…

As the trumpeter signaled the riders to the starting gate, BB found himself the perfect spot to sit and watch the big race: right at the starting gate!

He could see all twenty horses and their jockeys… matching outfits and all… entering their stalls, ready to run the race of their lives.

When, suddenly, a wave of worry washed over the track announcer as he shakily said:
“Uh-oh, folks! We seem to be short one starter today! Who’s going to open the gates now?!”

There was no way the most important horse race of the year could happen without a starter!

A young race fan next to BB took a quick glance over to the bewildered bigfoot, another up to his mom in her flowered hat, and yelled out:

“Let the fuzzy guy do it!”

“Oh yes! Look at that bowtie. He’s clearly ready,” said the woman.

BB froze. All eyes turned toward him.

Before he could make a peep, a rugged-looking man with a scruffy beard walked over. Towering over BB, wearing a fresh tan suit and big gold belt buckle… the man reached out his hand and bellowed:

“Well son, how’d you like to launch the most exciting two minutes in sports?”

Taking the man’s hand, BB stepped up to the track and, with a little boost, started to climb the tower next to the starting gate.

As the twenty riders, twenty horses, and tens of thousands of enthusiastic fans looked in delight, BB raised his paw high above his head… his fur only shook just a little… he took a deep breath—“Hrrrrmmph…”—and he reached for the bright, glowing, red button.

The Brave Yeti smashed the starting button and they were off!

The horses’ hooves pounded like drums across the dirt… BB’s fur blew in the breeze as he watched the horses thunder down the track.

Starting at the back of the pack, Galloping Gumdrop moved quickly around the competition… rounding the first corner into the second… accelerating her pace and swiftly navigating around the crowd.

Gumdrop’s jockey used his expertise and training and found their perfect opportunity… halfway down the backstretch! Using words of encouragement and the bond they’d created training all winter long, the flying filly rocketed around the competition.

BB started jumping up and down with excitement… he could see his new equine friend could do it! Galloping Gumdrop could win it all!

Gumdrop found herself in 3rd place rounding out of turn 4… with one big, last determined sigh, she used a big burst of energy to fly by the horse in 2nd. She’s now neck to neck with the first-place horse!

“By a nose… by a mane… by a whisker—AND SHE WINS! Galloping Gumdrop has taken the checkered flag!”

The track announcer made it official… BB’s new friend won the Kentucky Derby!!

BB cheered with the crowd, waving his flag and doing a little happy shuffle. A photographer snapped a picture. Someone placed a miniature rose garland around his neck.

While Galloping Gumdrop, her jockey, and her owner family were celebrating together with blankets of roses and fizzy drinks in Winner’s Circle, back near the grandstand, BB was the guest of honor!

The woman and her son held BB high in celebration of the great job he did braving his fears and kicking off the race!

Out of the corner of his eye, he could see a familiar face from earlier: the scruffy race official.

Oh no, BB thought, I must have done something wrong!

The weathered man bent down and, with a slight smile and wink, handed BB the very button box he had used to start the race.
“You’re welcome back anytime, son,” the man said confidently. “The Derby needs a race-starting yeti!”

BB grinned so big, his teeth sparkled in the Kentucky sunshine.

As the glowing spring sun dipped below the rolling Kentucky hills, BB curled up beneath the grandstand with a sack of his favorite snack—french fries—and his pack by his side.

BB thought about the horses… the humans… the roses… and the cheers.

Today, humans didn’t run from a yeti… they weren’t afraid at all! They cheered with him.

Today, BB didn’t hide when he was afraid. He decided to be brave, too, and opened a gate for the world.

And as the last horse clip-clopped into the stable, BB closed his eyes and drifted to sleep, dreaming of his next adventure.