PINE GROVE, Pa. — One of the year’s biggest horse races is the Kentucky Derby. 

Held every year on the first Saturday in May, the first jewel in horse racing’s Triple Crown draws only the best three-year-old horses from around the world.

One of the favorites in this year’s field hails from Pennsylvania.

Angel of Empire, which drew the 14th post position in the 20-horse field and is currently an 8-1 shot to claim the rose blanket awarded to the victor, has roots that are closer to Pennsylvania’s anthracite coal fields than they are to Kentucky’s bluegrass.

The horse took some of its first gallops at Blackstone Farm, which is located near the town of Pine Grove in southern Schuylkill County. 

The horse’s breeder, Christian Black, currently lives in Lancaster County.

“It’s very exciting. If we are not excited now we will never be excited. Very exciting,” said Black, who is also a co-owner and partner at Blackstone Farm.

Black said the hills of Schuylkill County are great for horses.

“If you look around here, it’s an open space,” he said in the weeks leading up to the Derby. “It’s very quiet here. We have rolling hills where the horses can develop [and] run around. develop strengths and bone. We have a lot of room for them that they’re not crammed here.”

Black, who is originally from Denmark, makes the drive up Route 501 to Blackstone Farm from Lititz to see his horse.

He and his business partner, Douglas Black (no relation), are no strangers to success in their industry.

“When your horses have success in racing — we have had two in the Kentucky Derby and other stakes winners — people from Kentucky, New York, all over realize the quality of horses here on the farm,” Christian Black said.

Angel of Empire raced to victory at the Arkansas Derby earlier this year and is one of the top five favorites for Saturday’s race.

Black is trying to manage his expectations. The Derby is an unpredictable race, with a massive, 20-horse field.  An unlucky bump here, or a tight squeeze there over the 1.25-mile sprint often determines the outcome. 

But Angel of Empire has characteristics common among Kentucky Derby winners, Black says.

“If you want to have a winner of the Kentucky Derby, the horse has to be able to take what we call kickback or dirt in his face,” he explained. “He has shown that he can do that.”

Black’s horse is also used to running in front of large crowds, though he has yet to experience an atmosphere like the Derby.

At the Arkansas Derby, the crowd was an estimated 65,000, Black said. On Saturday, more than 150,000 people are expected to pack the grandstand and the infield at Churchill Downs.

It may be Angel of Empire in the gate on Saturday, but he won’t be the only one feeling the competitive pressure, Black said.

“You know, for me, it’s the love and desire for the horse — that’s why I’m in the business,” he said. “And then as a personality, I’m very competitive. So I think that’s where it comes from.

“I’m here because of the horses. I’m here because I love the horses and really care for the animal. I’m really excited about it,” he continued.

Christian Black is already at Churchill Downs. Angel of Empire will be slotted right next to the race’s top favorite, Forte, is at No. 15.

If he makes a successful run for the roses, Angel of Empire will be the third Pennsylvania horse ever to win the Derby. Lil E. Tee was victorious in 1992, and Smarty Jones won in 2004.