So another reader has checked in and claims that the art of port-a-john jumping was actually perfected at the Kentucky Derby in 2007, as these photos demonstrate.
There's no doubt that the antics of Frank Casatelli during last year's Preakness Stakes have captivated the nation. I claimed that Frank's attempt to leap from one portable john to the next was the first such attempt in horse racing history, but a reader then contacted us to try and set the record straight.
Rick,
apropos of nothing, port-a-john jumping first began at the 2007 Kentucky Derby (and probably long before that, who knows). Regardless, these three pictures confirm that my friend Dave's attempt at the port-a-john marathon pre-dates the Preakness stints. One John towards the end collapsed, and a Southern gentleman inside was not entirely pleased about it.
Anyways, after Dave did it in 07, lots of other kids at the Derby joined in. Our friends then tried to carry it on at the Preakness, where I'm told it became a full-fledged phenomenon. But it started (again, to my knowledge) at the 2007 Kentucky Derby when I helped Dave up onto a port-a-john and he cautiously leapt his was to infamy.
Oh, and notice via one pic that he did it barefoot. What a human.
I think I'm going to go ahead and just have this one sentence bronzed:
One John towards the end collapsed, and a Southern gentleman inside was not entirely pleased about it.
Run Dave, you magnificant port-a-john jumping bastard! Run!