by Kyle R. Thomas

There are some people in our society who know at a young age exactly what they want to do for the rest of their lives. As an example, say, become an attorney. They follow that up with good grades in high school, pre-law undergrad, a good enough LSAT score to get into an Ivy League law school, pass the bar on the first attempt, followed by a long and successful career as a well-paid attorney. How boring. These people should be ashamed of themselves. Most of us have to figure it out as we go, and often it changes many times along the way. Steve Buttleman is of the latter variety, a man who could never have dreamed that his life would take the shape that it ultimately has. Even into his college years, he had a solid sense of where his life was headed. Then he took a chance. He answered a call. And his life then changed dramatically, leading him to the enviable position of now being singularly one of a kind.

Long before he was posing for pictures with Bill Murray and being featured on live NBC broadcasts, Steve lived what could be considered an ordinary Midwestern upbringing in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. It was a musically-inspired uncle who first introduced Steve to what would become his lifelong passion. “I started playing my uncle’s old cornet in fifth grade,” he said. “I just really enjoyed it, and I still have it, actually.” Steve continued playing and taking lessons through middle school, and this prompted him to join his high school marching band. Along the way, as he continued to advance his craft, he procured the services of a trumpet teacher. Said teacher attended college at the University of Louisville in Kentucky, and thus Steve was inspired to do the same. Upon graduation from high school, Steve packed his bags and moved to Louisville. And just a stone’s throw away from campus . . . resides Churchill Downs, the home of the Kentucky Derby.

Steve arrived at the “U of L” with grand plans to become a professional trumpet player, but he was quickly disabused of those notions once he started class. “I just wasn’t sure if music was going to change the world,” he said. “So I thought, well, maybe I should do something that's going to benefit mankind.” Steve changed his major to biology, thinking it could serve as a precursor to nursing or even medical school. To correspond with his new class schedule, Steve started working at Norton Children’s Hospital in Louisville. This was his new plan, to perhaps work as a nurse to support himself through medical school. A solid enough plan, but a deviation from his dream. This temporary interlude from his dream did have one major benefit, though: while working at Norton, he met a medical student who was completing her pediatric residency. “We were married six months later,” Steve said. They are still married to this day. Her name is Dr. Rhonda Buttleman, who still practices in Louisville.

Shortly thereafter, Steve and Rhonda had the first of their two children. And nursing wasn’t everything Steve had hoped it would be. “I started reevaluating what I really enjoy doing,” he said. “Nursing really wasn't what I wanted, or what I thought it would be.” He picked back up his cornet. He started taking lessons again. He subsequently returned to college, with a renewed desire to pursue trumpet performance. And as fate would have it, once he resumed his musical dream, the opportunity of a lifetime presented itself.

In the fall of 1995, Churchill Downs sent out a call to the University of Louisville. They were in need of a new bugler, and they were holding auditions. Steve was one of many who showed up on the appointed day, but he admits that he had no expectations of winning. “I went to the audition thinking this will be really good experience,” he remembered. “But I didn't expect to win. We all knew each other at the tryout, because we were all ‘U of L’ students.” Very quickly, though, the powers that be narrowed down the candidates to two. Steve had made the finals. “We went back and forth, you know, playing the Call to the Post,” he said. “I was fortunate enough to be the guy they picked.” He was officially unveiled as the new bugler for Churchill Downs, meaning he would get to play the legendary “Call to the Post” on live television every year on the first Saturday in May.

The Kentucky Derby in 1996 was notable for several reasons. The top thoroughbred trainer at the time, D. Wayne Lukas, had five entries entered in the 20-horse field. It also served as the first year that a young trainer named Bob Baffert entered a horse in the Derby field. Baffert has since gone on to train two Triple Crown winners and become one of the most recognizable figures in the sport. Steve remembers his first Derby experience well. “I didn't really know what to expect,” he said. “I was just playing it by ear. I was really nervous because I just had never done this before. I had never played for that many people before.” In case you’re wondering just how many people were there, on May 4th, 1996, there were 142,668 fans in attendance. The eventual winner was Grindstone, one of Lukas’s horses, and it marked the 17th year in a row that the betting favorite did not prevail in the Derby.

For many of us in the Tennessee Walking Horse industry, it’s not uncommon to think that there are the two weeks of The Celebration every year, and then there are 50 other weeks in the year. Now having played 31 consecutive years at the Kentucky Derby, Steve understands that sentiment. There is Derby Week in Louisville, and then there’s all the rest. “I think one thing is that there's something for everybody,” he said, “to get involved with the Derby. It really starts at the first of April. But there's something for everybody. Whether you like the parade or if you do or don't have a lot of money -- like most of us -- you can still get involved and enjoy it and celebrate the Derby. And I think that's what makes it really special.”

There are a few memorable Derby days that stick out for Steve. One was in 2015, when American Pharoah won the Derby for Bob Baffert, on his way to the first Triple Crown in the sport in 37 years. Another notable Derby for Steve was in 2009, and it was notable in more ways than one. “Calvin Borel had won the Kentucky Oaks the day before,” he said. Borel had ridden Rachel Alexandra in the all-filly Oaks to a 20-length victory the day before the Kentucky Derby, and he was slated to ride longshot Mine That Bird on Derby Day. “I told my wife: I can't really explain why, but I have a feeling that Calvin's going to win tomorrow and win both of them. He went off at 50-to-1! I didn’t have a penny on him.”

Moments before Borel did ultimately win the “Run for the Roses” aboard Mine That Bird, there was panic in the pagoda where Steve resides during the big event. His microphone wasn’t working. “I used to have to turn the mic on inside the pagoda,” he recalled, “and then go out and play.” Churchill Downs had decided to update their technology that year, though. “Well, now I just have a button to push. The in-house guy said he would take care of it. So I go out to play on national television, and I can tell that the mic is not turned on. And I'm thinking, ‘What do I do now?’ I thought if our crowd doesn't hear it, then the television crowd won't hear it. But my first job is to be faithful and loyal to our patrons who are here.” He had a decision to make, and he didn’t have time to second-guess himself. “So I turned around on national television and walked back into the pagoda, turned the knob and went back out.” He feared it may be his last year to play at the Derby, but it all worked out in the end. “I think I made the right choice.”

Steve says he often gets asked how he deals with his nerves on Derby Day, especially when there are more than 150,000 people in attendance. Not to mention the fans who tune in around the country on NBC Sports. At this year’s Kentucky Derby, the television audience peaked at its highest-ever number, with viewership in over 24 million homes. “I think it's healthy to be a little nervous,” Steve said. “I think if you're too cocky, God will knock you down a peg.” In the hour before the Derby starts every year, Steve goes for a walk. “I take a walk down the turf track, kind of collecting myself. And when I get to the top of the stretch, I turn around and I see the Twin Spires, and the crowd and everyone dressed up . . . I see that and I think, ‘God, what did I do to deserve to get to be this guy?’” While there have been a handful of Derbies that have experienced some bad weather, Steve loves to see how much fun the crowd has regardless. “But usually the sun comes out, about an hour before the Derby,” he said.

“I guess God loves the Derby, too.”

Once Steve takes his walk, it’s time for him to lock in. First things first, he sends up a prayer. “I thank God,” he said. “Please help me not screw up.” After that, he can feel some of the pressure letting off. “I'm like, all right, now you just got to stay out of your own way and do what you know how to do, which is to play the trumpet. Do your job. Your job right now isn't to be nervous. It's to play the Call to the Post perfectly.” Steve has notes written to himself inside the pagoda. They read: “Keep it close. Be focused. Be present.” Tidy advice for us all.

Even though Steve has played at the Kentucky Derby more than 30 times, he is quick to point out that it never gets old. “One thing that is really neat that I get to experience,” he said, “is when I play the first four notes of the Call to the Post. By that fourth note, the crowd just erupts.” As paradoxical as it may seem, he says the larger the crowd, the more comfortable he feels. He admits the most nervous he’s ever felt was in 2020, when the Derby was held without spectators. “The COVID year, when we didn’t have any people in the stands . . . I was afraid I had made a mistake, because there was nobody there cheering when I got started,” he said.

“I feed off the energy of the crowd.”

While it may be easy to think about the Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs as a singular event each year, that facility has racing events throughout the year. “We race five days a week in May and June,” Steve said. “We have a shorter meet in September, then we race the full month of November. During those months, it is definitely a full-time commitment.” Beyond his duties at Churchill Downs, Steve also serves as the bugler at Keeneland Race Track in Lexington, a role he has held for the past 15 years, swapping his traditional red jacket for a green one. He also keeps himself busy with corporate invitations, non-racing events at Churchill Downs, even weddings.

One of Steve’s favorite parts of his life as a full-time bugler is his connection with the fans. He has people return to him year after year for him to play “Happy Birthday” on his trumpet. “It's not even just kids anymore,” he said. “Adults come down, too. And I think the adults enjoy it just as much as the kids do. I always have little horse figurines in my pocket. So when I play for them, I'll say, ‘Would you like a pony for your birthday?’ And even if they're grown-ups, they don't care. They think it's fun. But I love getting to interact with the fans and especially with the kids and play songs for them in between races.” Steve fondly reminisces about a family he met his first year at Keeneland. “It was the first child I ever played for at Keeneland. Her name is Eleanor, and she had a little sister named Violet, and she was one. Now she’s 15, and I get to play for her every year.”

A common question Steve gets asked is if he knows any other songs than the Call to the Post. Of course the answer is yes, but that doesn’t mean that modern songs are particularly easy on the trumpet. “I’m trying to learn ‘Golden’ from ‘K-Pop Demon Hunters,’” he said with a laugh. “I’ve been asked if I know how to play ‘Brick House.’ I’m still working on that one. It’s hard to play on the trumpet because it has that little run between the words brick and house.” Steve says he is eager to learn some new standards from the Tennessee Walking Horse industry, up to and including the “Flat Walk Boogie.”

Steve has carved out a unique place for himself in the sporting and entertainment industries, and he also holds a singular distinction in the thoroughbred world. He is the only bugler in history to play all three legs of horse racing’s Triple Crown. The Kentucky Derby serves as the first jewel of the Crown, followed by the Preakness Stakes in Baltimore, Maryland, and the Belmont Stakes in Elmont, New York. “I actually got to do the Belmont first,” he said. Steve was invited to join a group of “All-Star Buglers,” which was founded in 1997 by retired New York Racing Association bugler Mark O'Keeffe. “That was how I got to do the Belmont Stakes, and we did the Belmont a few years.” Steve was also invited to play alongside Preakness bugler Bethann Dixon. “I love working with Bethann. She's a music teacher, as well, and just a wonderful person. So that’s how I got to do all three.”

And then, Steve got an invitation from the Tennessee Walking Horse National Celebration. Steve has worked for the past several years alongside Celebration announcer Mark Farrar, Jr., at the Lexington Junior League Charity Horse Show, which is a Saddlebred event. Mark subsequently reached out to the top leadership at The Celebration, and the invitation was later extended. “It was so nice last year,” he said. “I had never been exposed before to Tennessee Walking Horses. And the thing I noticed right away was the family enjoyment of The Celebration. Families were there all together, and they would stay! They would stay until the very last class, whether that was 11:30 or 1:30.”

Youth involvement in the Tennessee Walking Horse industry was something that really stuck out to Steve. He marveled at how young some of the exhibitors are, and also his belief that horses know exactly who is on their back. “And the Stick Horse class was absolutely amazing,” he continued. “We had over 200 kids out there! I’ve always really loved kids, my wife and I both. So the Stick Horse class was one thing I really enjoyed.”
“And just noticing how dedicated the fans are and what a family-oriented event it is.”

Steve is very excited to be returning to Shelbyville again this year, to this 88th edition of the Tennessee Walking Horse National Celebration. He looks forward to sounding the call to open the gate as we search for our next World Grand Champion. He also encourages fans to come up and introduce themselves. He loves to make new friends and learn names. Maybe someone can even come up with a new modern song for him to try out. And who knows, if you happen to have a birthday to celebrate during The Celebration, he may have a pony for you.

Steve Buttleman. One of one. A man who never could have dreamed that his life would take him to Churchill Downs. He also never could have planned for his life to bring him to Shelbyville. The only man to play the Kentucky Derby, the Preakness Stakes and the Belmont Stakes. And now we can say that he’s the only man to do all three of those, while also having the honor of playing the Tennessee Walking Horse National Celebration. Let’s call that the grand slam.